Drowning In Blood
by MindLezz
Summary: UPDATED! Vampire fic [AU&OOC] [sasusaku, naruhina, nejiten] [language warning, rated M]: “She wants revenge. She wants... she wants to kill you.”
1. Prologue

AN: I said that I wouldn't get too many fics started at once… but that decision has been… I don't know, taken back? I was inspired to do a vampire fic, by the movie Van Helsing. Not that… its going to be the same as the movie… this one is completely different. I've been racking my brain for a new idea and I guess I found it. The next fic I plan to write hasn't even been started… well, I just can't find where to start it… So I decided to write this one first… and then we'll see.

I'll say this **once** and only **once**: _I do **not** own Naruto. It belongs to its respectful owners and creators, etc. etc._

Drowning in Blood: Prologue

500 years ago…

 The first vampire was born. His dark lustrous eyes loomed over the dark village of Konoha. He licked his lips with his long tongue taking pleasure in the taste they left him, the taste of blood. He savored the taste; he lived for it. He chuckled. Tonight, would be the night he sired his first vampires. His children, his subordinates… whichever they were the same to him. His body was shaking with absolute madness and excitement. Oh yes, he was one of a kind, however, now would be the time when he began his revolution; his revenge against Konoha and its leaders for even trying to lock him up in that dark blasted dungeon. They considered him a freak. An inhumane object capable of world destruction, when all he wanted as acceptance for what he really was… but no.

They planned to lock him there for eternity, swearing that one day, when they found a way, they would destroy him, so that his evil will never reach out toward others. A pinch, a bite, a slice here and there and they think you're going to destroy the world. He could laugh. So they cursed him, he would never be able to accomplish his goals and he would pay for everything he has done. Fools, they believed a few crosses and seals could contain his power? No, he broke out of that cursed place with ease and ran toward the hills hiding… until he could finally commence his plan and now, merely a year later, he has done it. He has found the perfect revenge, a plan that would take over a century to complete. A complete domination of his kind… and first to go was Konoha; The only place that actually knew his true power.

Oh yes, Orochimaru, King of Vampires, will have his revenge... he would be around for a long, long, time. Konoha has an eternity of suffering ahead of it… he swore it, and now, it's going to begin…

A decade later….

The moon shone, the stars shined, and Orochimaru stalked around Konoha with a large frown on his face, undetected. He shook his head _'this town sucks…'_ He rubbed his chin annoyingly and stood at his place for a while, waiting for something good to come an entertain him. To his disappointment, nothing happened. _'Still paranoid though…'_ he grinned. His sensitive ears picked up a noise. He listened closely… There were two people, armed with weapons… Now, he was interested.

  "We got another one. That was close… I swear this job is tiring sometimes." One voice whispered.

"Dobe, quit complaining." A low, dark voice said. Orochimaru shivered, oh, he liked these two, especially the one with the darker voice. "We do this for a reason, without us hunting vampires all the time, who the hell would protect his godforsaken town?! No one. We are all they have, Naruto." The king of Vampires grinned. It looks like; he has found himself two new victims, and vampire hunters at that, how ironic… His luck was beginning to turn around. He walked toward the voices.

 The two were lurched over a body. They seemed to be studying it intently. They didn't even notice his presence. Orochimaru chuckled slightly. Their heads snapped up and they turned around immediately with their weapons aimed directly at his forehead. "Who the hell are you?!" The dark haired one demanded. Orochimaru felt chills. These two, were different. They were both… dare he say beautiful? He just liked these two guys.

One was slightly shorter, with brilliant blue eyes and interestingly… blonde hair, and then yes, the second one. He had dark hair and his sharp piercing eyes glared intently at him. He liked that before a kill. It was just a fetish, nothing more. "I'm not going to ask you again! Answer the question if you don't want a steak through your chest." Orochimaru smirked, these two gave him such amusement.

"I… am Orochimaru." He said, straightforward. The two looked at him as if he was crazy; apparently they were caught off guard by his answer. They didn't lower their weapons.

"Damn it, would you just answer the question?! For real this time!" The blonde one asked.

"I. Am. Orochimaru…" Stubborn idiots… they just don't listen to him.

"Impossible, the guards would've spotted you already. You can't get into half the radius in this town, how the hell would you make it this far?! Idiot, quit fooling around." The blonde one spoke again.

He sighed, Orochimaru hated repeating himself. Apparently, their looks don't work with in synchronization with their brains. Now, he was just getting annoyed. "I won't repeat myself you fools." It was already through half the night, he was hungry. Better make this meal quick, and scrap the siring idea. "Enough, I'm tired of you two. Such a waste of good looks too." Orochimaru leapt into the air and landed behind them. He smirked and grabbed the blonde one's neck.

"Naruto!" The dark haired one yelped. Ah, so that was his name.

"Well, well, well, Naruto, now you die…" A felt something plunge into his chest from behind. A steak, a silver one. Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly, he didn't even see the dark haired boy move. He released Naruto and looked down. He smirked. "You idiots." He pulled the steak out of his chest and licked his blood off of it. "Old simple tricks won't work on me." He laughed out loud and licked his lips. The two guys seemed shocked.

Orochimaru looked at the body on the ground. It was one of his children, bested to easily, and now he knew why. These two were different. They had speed, they had talent… they had looks. After all, the child they just slayed was a daughter of his. "You killed my child… did you know that?" He asked lowly. The two glared at him. "She was one of the first… actually." He bent down and stroked her hair. "You know, I'll need someone to replace her, and I think you two will work just fine."

"Never. You idiot, I don't care if you are Orochimaru, we would never become like you." The dark haired one seethed. Orochimaru frowned slightly. He had yet to figure out his name.

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered. Orochimaru felt better, the idiot relieved his frustration for him. His name was Sasuke, and what a beautiful specimen he was. He was thrilled. Wait… he stiffened slightly, wait a minute… Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke? Orochimaru looked at the boy. He was wearing a silver chain around his neck, with the Uchiha fan on it. That was all the proof he needed. He was interested in him completely now.

"I didn't say you had a choice." Orochimaru said smirking. "Uchiha Sasuke…" The dark haired boy's head snapped up. Too late, Orochimaru charged and disappeared. The two were helpless. They couldn't see him anywhere.

Sasuke's eyes wandered around. A snap, "Naruto! Run!" It was too late for him, as soon as Naruto took a step, Orochimaru appeared behind him, held him down, and took his bite. Naruto's screams echoed throughout the village. Sasuke could barely react. He stood there, shocked. His knees wobbled slightly, but his body would not move. He could only watch as his friend get his life sucked out by this hideous creature. He was panicking.

  Before he knew it, Naruto's body was dumped before him. Sasuke kneeled down beside him. "Naruto?" He whispered disbelievingly. "Naruto… wake up." He shook the other boy. No, he was gone. Taken away so easily… away from him in one instant. All because of him, Orochimaru… "Come out you bastard! I'll chop you into pieces for what you've done!" He yelled.

Orochimaru grinned, "Oh really Sasuke-kun…?" His voice echoed, "Ah, Uchiha Sasuke… you are obviously one of the survivors from the Uchiha clan correct? What a good fight they put up-…" Sasuke glared, but he didn't know where Orochimaru was. He couldn't detect him. The vampire continued, "I remember, I was there… blood everywhere! It was beautiful you know…  Itachi, one of my children, such a prodigy… how lovely it would be, if I had both the Uchiha brothers in my army…"

"Quit your rambling and show yourself!" Sasuke yelled.

"Pfft, ahahahahaha…. I saw it all Sasuke. I sent Itachi to do it. That night, he slayed and drank the hell out of every single one of your-…"

"How do you know about me?!" he asked curiously yet painfully. The images never stopped haunting him.

"I'm Orochimaru… you don't believe me Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru appeared suddenly in front of him, upside down, balancing on nothing and standing in midair. He stroked Sasuke's cheek. "Don't feel so discouraged Sasuke, I know where Itachi is… I can help you…" The boy smacked his hand away.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Sasuke grabbed his weapon and aimed it at him.

"It's no use and you know it… You mortals can never kill me." He smirked and snapped his fingers. Sasuke regarded him suspiciously. A hand came out of nowhere and wrapped over his mouth. He then pinned his arms behind his back, leaving his neck exposed. "That a boy, Naruto. Hold him down, nice and tight." Orochimaru approached him. "Ah, I could feel your blood pulsing…" He licked his lips. Sasuke could only watch. He struggled against his restraints but it was no use. Naruto wasn't human anymore, his strength was too great. He couldn't react… He saw Orochimaru's smirking face and gaped in horror. The vampire bent down, and plunged his fangs into his neck. He lost all feeling, and fell unconscious. Orochimaru laughed loudly, yes, he had finally found them, so simply too. Two new born vampires he would breed to become two of the most powerful, and to think, he found them on a peaceful night like this…

TBC…

AN: Hope you liked it…


	2. Chapter 1: Duplicity

AN: Well well, I am starting to enjoy this… a lot. I love writing dark and twisted things… And now… I have Sasuke and Naruto to torment and put through emotional torture. I am leaping… with joy. -Insert evil laugh here-. All right, all right. Without further ado…

Drowning In Blood: Chapter 1 – Duplicity

90 years later…

It had been almost one century and the battle between man and vampire was beginning to rise. Orochimaru had striked Konoha first, however, he underestimated the town, whos defenses have increased. Vampire hunters were coming from all around, and since usually the king's vampires would feed in the village, a lot of them migrated there. It especially had been difficult without his top vampires... because with their help, the others probably wouln't have to deal with the hunters.

Still, the king would not give up, despite the troubles that lie ahead of him just trying to conquer Konoha itself. If this town took this long to take over, who knows how long the other 4 hidden villages would take. However, Orochimaru has been seeing success. He had bred new, advanced vampires that took over 50 years to train and unleased them. That, was 25 years longer than his former vampires. It had been worth it...

After successfully implanting fear into the people of Konoha, and shaken the courage of its best vampire hunters, Orochimaru was just beginning to move on to the next village, but he didn't pull out all of his vampire henchmen. He left quite a few behind to remind Konoha that they were, after all, dealing with him, and he did promise an eternity of torment. So the suffering continued, and there was no one who could, or would oppose him...

Somewhere...

Naruto scratched his head irritably. _'Do vampires have flees?!'_ He thought to himself. The blonde haired vampire walked throughout the dark mansion, looking for any signs of his friends. Finding none he continued down the long hallway until he reached their living area, if you considered them living. The three, meaning Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru, were planning to feed that night. Naruto had nothing to do; he might as well wait. He yawned. It was almost ninety years ago that they escaped Orochimaru's clutches….

He sat down reminiscing that moment. They were captured by the vampire and taken to his palace. Both Naruto and Sasuke fought the entire way, but they couldn't. The vampire was too strong, too powerful for them to fight against. Eventually, they went along with the vampire and later learned that indeed the old psycho really was Orochimaru. (They were in denial before.) He went even further by dubbing himself the King of Vampires, and the name fit him well...

When they reached his lair, they met two other men captured by the vampire… Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji. They too were unwillingly taken. The four formed alliances as well as friendship. Soon after that, they met their instructor, Hatake Kakashi.

He was a man bred by Orochimaru, and one of the first sired by him. Apparently, Orochimaru favored the guy… They got close with their instructor, and he taught everyone, particularly Sasuke, everything they needed to know, from feeding, sleeping, to seduction skills. In five short years the four of them learned all they needed to know and were well on their way to learning from Orochimaru himself.

When that happened, he appointed Sasuke and Neji to be his right hand men, and Naruto and Shikamaru to be his bodyguards. It seems that Orochimaru favored them as well, for reasons unknown… The king taught them a few of his tricks, from jutsus, to summonings to other certain things. That way, they could do things average vampires could not do. However, the four of them felt uneasy with the kings liking toward them. They usually tried to avoid him whenever they weren't training.

Still, the rage and jealousy of the other vampires soon errupted and lashed out toward them. During the middle of the nights, sometimes, the others would ambush them, attempting to strike them down, but it was impossible. For some reason, the four of them could never be defeated.

Then out of anger and frustration the jealous vampires began attacking not only them four, but Orochimaru as well and that was when… all hell broke loose. They angered the old psycho. Anyone who crossed his path in an unrespectful manner was slain, heck, anyone who spoke at the wrong time was killed. It was the most horrific sight they had ever witnessed. The king slaughtered every single one that opposed him… he drank their blood in front of the others, he sliced up their bodies, burned them on steaks and throughout the whole ordeal, he was smiling. Some of their closest friends were victims of the king's rage… Chouji and Shino… to name a few.

Naruto cringed. After that, the four of them decided to escape and quickly, knowing that they wouldn't be able to tolerate the vampire anymore. His twisted ideals, and his hellish ways were far too sinister for the young vampires to endure. Orochimaru was a sick man, and he was going to use them for something ominous. They knew that if they separated from him, they could train on their own will, they could control their own power. They wouldn't be turned into idiotic soldiers for his psychotic ordeals.

It was decided; they would escape, near dawn… that way, if any vampire besides Orochimaru chased them they would burn. As for them, if the sun arose it wouldn't affect them as much. They weren't Orochimaru's right hand men for nothing. The king taught them a sun jutsu in order to survive certain situations like this. A few tricks here and there and they were settled.

Exactly one month later, the four set out an hour before dawn arose. Not even halfway they were spotted. The four were forced to flee into the dark forest surrounding the palace. They easily bested the vampires that flew after them that attempted to capture and return them. They continued on, but something wasn't right, it was far too easy, just as they reached the borders Orochimaru himself appeared. The sun was rising; they activated their jutsus and prepared to battle the him. He laughed at them and attacked. "You fools!" The vampire king charged, He flew at a rapid pace, first striking Shikamaru, and then Sasuke. Next came Neji and last was Naruto. The young vampire's powers were too far under developed to actually fight him, and now, running wasn't even an option. Winds swept around them at such a swift pace they cut and burned. This was it. It was over, they were caught, and now-…

The winds increased, but didn't stop. That wasn't until a sudden screech from a surprised Orochimaru sounded. Kakashi appeared and canceled the king's attack. "You four, run!" He commanded. They were all hesitant. They wouldn't allow their instructor to stay back and fight alone. They stubbornly shook their heads and would not accept his sacrifice. That didn't go as planned. "You stubborn idiots!" Kakashi glared at them. Using an unknown jutsu, he forced them out of the area. In an instant they were swept up and gone. The last thing they heard were Kakashi's screams of agony piercing through the air.

It was later; they found themselves in a foreign land, surrounded by almost nothing. They remained silent for a moment, taking in the sudden rush of events and the loss that just occurred. Abandoning all hope and sorrow they reached a vicinity unoccupied by any human being… at all. It was a large mansion that seemed cozy enough. Even though it looked like no one lived in the area, the mansion looked like it was occupied. They found out, it was Kakashi's home. He left it to them. So it seemed, their instructor had been looking for an opportunity to strike down the wicked king and allow them to escape, knowing their intentions. With such a place like this, and so far away too, no wonder their teacher was always late.

Soon after that, they figured out that the house was actually an entire different land. It wasn't near Konoha, or anywhere else. It was simply there… a place. A hideout, not even a place Orochimaru could find if he used his vision to his full potential. They would make it their home, their hideout until they could execute a plan to vanquish the vampire. They would not allow Kakashi's sacrifice, nor any of their comrades' go in vain… they swore it.

There was more to it than that. He couldn't recall all the details. It was beginning to frustrate him…but it was a long time ago... the details were all very vague, not to mention, he has a short memory span.

All that aside, they still haven't acted on their plan for revenge. For the moment, they felt that they should just hide away and act only when nesessary and come out only to feed. They were extra cautious, feeding only in towns obscured from the rest of the world. Sometimes, they wouldn't feed at all. It was all for good reason, to stay out of the spot light, and out of Orochimaru's hawk eye until they were stong enough to kill him. Though, it felt more like running and fear more than anything...

Naruto yawned. It was almost dawn and his teammates still didn't appear. He grumbled and walked back down the hallway and toward their bedchambers. The two pail forms were still asleep. Naruto growled, apparently, they decided to sleep in and not feed for the night, and they forgot to tell him so. "Bastards…" He was hungry, but then again, he always was. They were almost a century old, and usually a vampire would have to feed every night until they were _centuries_ old, but they were different. They, for some reason, didn't require feeding as often. Orochimaru wasn't stupid. The old bat actually knew what he was doing when he sired the four. He often rambled about how they would be "all powerful immortal beings that would rule the world by his side" and he could feel it too. He wasn't lying about their abilities , but that didn't appeal to them as such a good thing…

Suddenly, Naruto felt something prod his mind. Something vaguely familiar and interesting… He rubbed his hands together. Sasuke was around, and he was having some fascinating thoughts floating around in his mind. He decided to prod further into the vampires mind. _'A little bit more…'_ Naruto chuckled. Abruptly, the thoughts were cut off. _'Oh… crap.'_ "What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke appeared in front of him looking extremely pissed off. He walked toward him slowly. "Naruto… why don't you…" Naruto winced. "…Get the fuck-…" Whatever he said after that, he couldn't register. Sasuke was suddenly in front of him. The vampire growled and punched him across the face sending him into the room Neji and Shikamaru were currently residing in.

The two vampires awoke unexpectedly, hearing the crash. They glared irritably at the two. "What the hell are you two doing?!" Neji asked angrily. Naruto picked himself up. Shikamaru, not caring about what was happening, went back to sleep muttering something about being troublesome. Sasuke stood above Naruto fuming. Naruto laughed nervously… "Dobe." He glared at him. It looked like Sasuke wasn't in a purvey mood tonight… or a joking mood, but then again he never really ever is in any mood rather than dark and negative. So Naruto decided to push some more buttons.

"So Sasuke, did you enjoy those ones? Personally I think you could've done much better trying to remember about your-…" Naruto started but was cut off. Neji clobbered him over the head.

"Naruto would you shut up already?!" The vampire grumbled and went back to his coffin to rest.

"What the hell was that for?!" Naruto yelled. "Jeez, it wasn't even my fault. You guys don't know how to have a little fun."

"Hmph." Sasuke swiftly walked out of the room.

"Hey, where are you going?! Sasuke, its almost dawn!" The other vampire flipped him off and kept walking. "The guy hasn't slept for three whole days… what the hell could he be doing…?" Naruto started at his retreating back confusingly.

Neji growled from his coffin, "Shut up!"

Ignoring Sasuke and Neji, Naruto decided to get some sleep also. He had invaded Sasuke's thoughts one too many times already, and he defiantly didn't want to feel the other vampire's rage again… even though he did almost everyday anyway. Besides, he felt that his awakening was pointless. He snarled. Tomorrow, they would feed... and he would make sure of it. They deprived him of it tonight... and for some reason, he had an undeniable craving for the red substance. Tomorrow, he didn't know if he could hold back this craving any longer...

TBC…

AN: Alright I know that chapter **sucked...**Sort of an introduction continued and it was sooo long. I hope you all don't mind. The background information had to come out somewhere... might as well do it now to it won't kill the story later... It'll get more interesting in the next chapter, I promise. The next chapter will pick up where this one left off... I will reveal what's going on with Sasuke.... mwahaha so, hope you all wait around for that, or are interested enough to.

I know, I know!...I killed off Kakashi... I'm weeping. Kakashi is my favorite character and it was a difficult decision. It was all for good reason… And I killed off Chouji and Shino as well... that was hard too, since they're both awsome. Ah well, apologies. You will know everything later on, in detail. Almost everything in this fic will probably lead to something more... so watch out for foreshadows and such.


	3. Chapter 2: Shameful Encounter

AN: All right, now on to some of the good parts. It's… well; I want it to be a surprise so I won't tell you. Since the pairings are posted, you will automatically know whom Sasukes mourning over and what I'm talking about.

Chapter 2: Shameful Encounter

Sasuke walked toward a private chamber in the house, getting away from the others. He just liked to be alone with his thoughts without a certain blonde haired dobe invading them. He walked out toward the garden area and sighed. This place, was his domain... his place of peace. He allowed himself to relax a bit.

He stood serenely in the sanctuary. Had it not been his, he wouldn't be able to enjoy this moment of bliss. None of his other roommates ever came out here, and they never knew he simply stayed out here when he "disappeared." Right now, he could walk around without disturbance. Here, no one here would nag at him, no one could see him. He was, after all, hidden from the rest of the world. It was far too late in the night for any human being to be awake, and far to close to dawn for his friends to be walking around, though they could, if they wished. He closed his eyes and sat down on a fountain rail.

The center of the fountain featured a weeping angel. It cast its shadow over him… It gave him closure. The statue resembled someone close to him, someone dear to him, and she was killed, slaughtered by one of his kind. That was half the reason he always came out here, because it resembled his wife… He wanted to grieve and cry out to the world about his loss, but that wasn't his nature. It had been so long, he didn't even know what tears felt like. He had forgotten how to cry, then again, he couldn't remember a time in his life where he cried… at all. Whenever he felt like this… nothing could help him, not even his angel.

They were only married for a month. He could've stayed and protected her, like he said he would. He promised to give up his dangerous line of work, but being the stubborn person he is, he wouldn't, even after they were married. She knew it, everyone knew it, and someone had to protect the village and that was him.

It was that night, he and Naruto went out. It was only for one night and it was more like a farewell. After all, he had more important things to take care of. This would be the last time he would hunt another vampire, but still she begged him not to go. She asked him, clung to him, pleaded with him to stay the night with her. He couldn't do it. He would never admit it to anyone, but he enjoyed doing his work. He liked to slaughter these inhumane beasts. It was blunt, true, but he like the thrill. She knew that, and yet she would go down on her knees and torment him like this? Yes, and he didn't listen to her. He swiftly walked out on her that night…

To this day, he still regretted it. He didn't think that he would never see her again… and now, the only thing that came into his head when he thought of her, were the tears cascading down her cheeks and how her expression held the image of an absolutely torn woman. He sometimes wondered if she knew that his fate was going to end like this…

When his thoughts lingered, like so, images of her smiling face would appear and dance tauntingly around in his head in a crazy comforting way. Other times he remembered the nights of passion he shared with her. He would remember her intent expression, her cries of ecstasy… how she clung to him and how her small body fit so perfectly with his. Those always brought a grin or a smirk to his face, but Naruto would always be present at those times. He learned to read thoughts. Put two and two together… Now you know why he hit him.

However, whenever Sasuke entered his sanctuary, no one can reach it. No one… not even Naruto. It was his place, the only place to call his own, and the only one that would see it or disturb him in it, would be his beloved and no one else.

Luckily for him, a few months ago, he found her. He smiled. No, she wasn't an old wrinkly thing. As mentioned before, she was killed not long after he was sired by Orochimaru. The king sent one of his henchmen to disperse of her because she was a "distraction." Whatever the reason, it made his concentration waver even farther, which is why Kakashi had to train him in more specifically than the others. Anyway…

She was, to his pleasure, reborn into the world looking the same as she did before, beautiful, clumsy, charming to him yet uncaring toward others. She can certainly raise a few eyebrows, she was a vixen, a seductress to him and only him in her own ways… and in exactly one month, it would be her twenty-first birthday… meaning, they could be together again, at the same age they were married at. Fate had put them two together, and it was just doing its work by putting them together… again. Like it was meant to be. It shot excitement through him. He would make her his own again. A large grin spread across his features. He could hardly wait…

Next night….

Naruto flew into a foreign village, along with Shikamaru and Neji. He was finally able to pull them out of their coffins and with him to feed. As they set in the village, he noticed Neji was looking a little more pail than usual. "Something wrong, Neji?" he asked. The other vampire shook his head, and shrugged whatever it was off. He brushed past the other two and began his own hunt.

Shikamaru and Naruto looked regarded him strangely. "Naruto, let's just go. The guys obviously got something up his ass tonight." Shikamaru said dully. Naruto watched his retreating back with curious eyes. Neji was walking into a darker part of the village and the houses looked like they stopped. Above that though, was a large hill and atop of that an estate, probably where the baron lived. Naruto's eyes widened. Was Neji planning to drink from the baron's family? If that were the case, he would have to stop him. It was going to cause a scene….

Naruto, not listening to Shikamaru, decided to run after the other vampire. Neji stopped, noticing their presence not far behind him. "What are you guys doing?" He asked angrily.

"What are you doing Neji? This is the baron's house, if you drink here tonight, the village will get suspicious." Naruto answered.

"Have you been feeding from this village, Naruto?"

"Once or twice, but I-…" Neji cut him off. He punched him across the face. Naruto fell to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?!" He asked furiously. "What's your problem anyway Neji?!"

"This… never mind, Forget it, it's none of your business anyway."

"Oh really?" Shikamaru chimed in. "I think we should know, you had to hit Naruto for a reason. What was it?" Neji remained silent, and Naruto picked himself off the floor. Shikamaru looked between the two thinking about the situation. His head snapped up. "Wait a minute, Neji… was this the village you lived in?" Neji's eyes widened slightly; he looked away.

"Eh? Where'd you get that idea Shikamaru?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru pointed toward the sign in front of the baron's house.

"Byakugan Village. That's the name of your blood limit, isn't it Neji?" Shikamaru questioned. The other vampire simply nodded.

"You mean… your eyes right?" Naruto smirked. "I thought it was a disorder or something-…"

"Naruto, you're looking for a beating aren't you?" Neji glared at him. Naruto grinned widely.

"But, why are you here at the baron's house Neji?"

"It's where I lived."

"You're part of the family?" He nodded again."But… why… you're relatives are most likely dead by now…" Neji's fist clenched.

"Yes… they are. They're all dead…"

Naruto gave him a weird look. "Uh… huh. So… why are we here?" Neji smirked.

"Revenge."

Konoha Village….

She walked along the shadowy streets of the village. The night was unusually cold, but the stars shined and the moon was full. They illuminated her pail skin. A slight breeze flew through, she shuddered slightly. Her pink hair fluttered uncontrollably. "Sakura…" a voice whispered. She smiled slightly. She turned her head around searching for the owner of the voice. _'There.'_

A dark figure appeared before her. "Sakura." It whispered tormented. The face was still hidden, but they approached her. She felt her back being pressed against a wooden fence. A hand rested beside her head and the figure's face was pressed closely to hers. It nuzzled her neck. She felt like she was losing herself. She closed her eyes. "Sasuke-kun…" slipped out of her mouth.

Sasuke's face appeared out of the shadows. He growled lowly and pressed his lips closer to her ear whispering, "Open your eyes." She opened her eyelids revealing two large blue orbs. "Ino." She smiled slightly, that was until, Sasuke pulled away from her and slapped her hard across the face. Her eyes widened slightly; she grasped her cheek. "Sasuke-kun…?" She asked softly, snapping out of her reverie.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Ino?! You've sunk to an ultimate low this time." He seethed at her. She couldn't answer.

Ino, was a vampire he met a few years ago. She was a good friend of Shikamaru's and would often hang around the four of them when they weren't around Orochimaru. She was infatuated with Sasuke, just like a lot of the other young vampire females. However, Ino would follow him almost everywhere, jump out of corners at him when he wasn't looking, and she even left Orochimaru's lair to follow him. She would show up at the mansion sometimes, but wherever else she went after that none of them knew, and here she was… again.

Sasuke was angry. His eye was twitching and his fist clenched tightly. "How… how did you know, Sasuke-kun?" she asked meekly.

"Sakura doesn't have her memory back yet. She doesn't even know my name. Do you think I'm stupid?!" His tone wavered a little bit… " Her eyes are green not blue. I can remember her well Ino, don't you underestimate my senses." Ino shuddered slightly. She didn't like it when Sasuke was mad, especially when it was at her.

"Then why-… why did you-…" She was slightly hurt though. Why would Sasuke go ahead and infatuate her like that? All he had to do was say he knew it was her. Sasuke's glare intensified, but he remained silent.

He didn't know it was her, which is partially why he's so angry. He only saw the back of her head, and jumped right in… He should've known better. Sakura wouldn't be walking around the village at this time. He let himself get carried away; he was getting impatient, and he knew it, but when he heard her whisper "Sasuke-kun" He knew it couldn't be her. He didn't revive her memories yet…

"Sasuke-kun-…." Ino whispered.

"Shut up, Ino." He growled. "I don't have time right now."

"But-… but…" Ino's lip trembled slightly. "Sasuke… I-…" She was looking at the ground, crying no doubt. He began to walk away. "Wait!" she called out. He was getting irritated.

"What now?" he didn't turn around. She was silent. He shook his head and growled. "Leave me alone Ino." He flew off away from her.

When he was gone Ino picked herself up. Anger flicked across her face. Her fists clenched, her rage was boiling. Her tears were dry now. She would have him, no matter what. Nothing could keep her away, even his godforsaken wife. Even after he would sire his bride, Ino would be there. She'd make sure that she was around and make her his own. Her lust for him was very strong indeed.

Meet Sakura...

"You stupid moron! You're pathetic, you can't do anything right! I don't even know why I bother with you!" A crash sounded. "You little wench!" Sakura ran into her room and slammed the door. "Where the hell do you think you're going?!" A female voice yelled from the other side of the door. Sakura was shaking and crying. She slipped down onto the floor and held her knees close to her chest.

Right now, her life was hell. It started about seven years ago, when her parents died. She moved in with her aunt and uncle, and her little cousin, Kokoro. Little did she know, her relatives were a lot different then she interpreted them to be. Her aunt was a temperamental woman and her temper was always aimed at Sakura, while her uncle did no work and was a complete slob, which is why her aunt is so "miserable" and edgy and yet, they were both extremely greedy.

Her cousin Kokoro, who is fourteen, is a spoiled brat that hasn't exactly grown out of it yet. The little brat made it a task to make Sakura's life a lot worse than it already is, since Sakura was "taking over."

The door opened, and there was her aunt fuming angrily. "You stupid little bitch!" Her aunt screamed and grabbed her hair. She began to beat her with her large stick. Sakura cowered on the floor, covering her head to protect herself. Her aunt had no remorse. "You're worthless! You know that?!" She tugged and pulled at her. Sakura was only supposed to prepare tea, but she accidentally tripped and spilt the hot liquid all over her arms and legs and in the process she broke her aunt's teapot. Her arms and legs burnt, but right now, that wasn't a big concern. "Uhhgg! You useless brat!" Her aunt released her and stomped out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

Sakura was sobbing now, but she tried to hold the tears back. She already had bruises from before and now; they were only going to get larger. She felt pathetic, unable to stand up for herself, or have the courage to tell anyone about her problems at home. She was already a burden on them; she didn't want t be a burden on anyone else.

After a few moments Sakura picked herself off of the floor and dried her tears. She walked limply toward the other side of her cramped bedroom and took out a first aid kit. She began to bandage herself and fix up her minor burns. This was a normal process, after all it had been happening to her for almost seven years now. As she was bandaging herself she heard a faint rustle of the leaves outside her window.

She turned around and saw a familiar shadowy figure across the room. Her eyes twinkled in delight. "Sakura…" Sasuke stepped out of the shadows. He smirked.

TBC…

AN: I completely forgot about this chapter... woops. I had it written, and I was going to update it right after "Hidden" Never got around to it. Well, here it is! By the way, I am down all the major finals, and the last one I have is art. No sweat. I have time now, and "Hidden" will be updated shortly!

-slow grin spreads- Did you like meeting Ino and Sakura? Don't worry About Sakura, She'll be fine. What's the point of torturing Naruto and Sasuke when you can throw Sakura and Ino in. Come to think of it... basically all the characters in this fic have some torment in their plot structure... but that's later on.

Oh yes... by the way, if you're not a BIG fan of **sasusaku** I wouldn't recommend reading this. It'll get graphic later… or a little more mushy and lustful. These characters are vampires here, seduction and lust are almost key, and hey that passion I hinted about Sasuke is embedded in almost the rest of the story. So future warning… yeah. --Hint-- **lime.**

I enjoyed writing this one. =) Hope you all enjoyed reading it.

Ah, yes, and this is a ShikaIno fic also, so don't you all worry.


	4. Chapter 3: First Bride

AN: **Long** chapter, however… very plushie. Especially for you NejiTenten people. A bit of sasusaku. I updated this chapter sooner, because I'm bored. I have time... gahahaha, Ok, and I couldn't wait for you all to see it!

Chapter 3: First Bride?

Neji stepped quietly into the Hyuuga estate, undetected. This place brought back so many memories. Even in the dark he could see everything, all the places he tripped, where he left his old toys… Where his father sat before-…

"Neji!" Naruto said loudly. Shikamaru wasn't too far behind and hit him over the head.

"Shut up Naruto! Does it occur to you that there are people sleeping in this house? And you're the one that keeps worrying about causing a scene." Shikamaru grumbled. Suddenly, all three of their head snapped up. They turned toward the darkened end of the hallway. Someone was there, and whoever it was, they were watching the trio. Their breathing was shallow, obviously aware that the vampires were suspicious. Neji turned around and walked slowly around. "You two stay here… I'll see to it." He said.

Instantly, the person tried running. Neji's eyes scanned the area. They hid in a broom closet. He rolled his eyes, and opened the door. There was a cowering girl, two buns atop her head. She was shivering and her eyes were clenched shut. From what she was wearing, it looked like she was a mere maid in the house.

He just stared at her. Where did she get the idea that he was-… oh. He forgot… he was a vampire. He reached out and grabbed her neck. He was hungry, and if his memory served him right… The Hyuuga's had many servants, if one went missing who would notice? Besides, serves her right for spying on them.

She slowly opened her large brown eyes. They showed no fear whatsoever. Interesting, she went from fear to courage in a matter of seconds. He got curious. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked lowly. She looked away with an angry look. She wasn't answering. Oh, how he hated these kinds of meals. He gripped harder. She gagged slightly and attempted to kick him. Oh, now she's feisty… how annoying. He growled.

"Listen bitch, answer the question or I'll kill you here and now."

"N-…no." she ground out.

Was it so hard? Why was he even bothering with this girl? He already knew what she was doing. "Hn." He put her down and pressed her against the wall. He pressed his face into her neck, inhaling her scent. She had a pure scent. He found himself slightly attracted to it. Usually, he drank from whores. (ha…ha…) It was just easier, since they were out at night and no one knew who they were, and they all smelt dirty somehow. Ok, he's a neat freak. He's sniffing people… She kicked him and then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the abdomen.

Where did that come from? Neji pulled away from her. She was getting intoxicating… not to mention there was a knife embedded in him at the moment. He smirked and pulled it out. "You're going to pay for that." He muttered. "And… I suppose if you got exposed to the outside world, you would know how to kill a vampire correctly." He waved the knife in front of her face. "But, this village hardly knows about anything since its baron is a moron. I see you got the silver part down though." He smirked. "Look closely," He stabbed the knife right through his chest, "there. That's where you hit them."

Her eyes widened. She gasped in fear. "Neji, you're getting careless. Either that, or your revenge is blinding you…" Naruto and Shikamaru appeared behind him.

"Hmph… what are you talking about Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Neji, she thought we were robbers, not vampires. Did you forget that vampires hardly feed in this town? Thanks for blowing our cover! And you two were afraid I'd do it." Naruto sighed.

Neji was slightly taken back. _'Oh shit.'_ He was being careless. It's ok, he'll blame it on her. "I-…"

"You're going to blame her aren't you?" Naruto asked. "I thought you'd think of a better excuse than that. Did you forget I could read thoughts?"

"Damn you Naruto." Neji muttered. Meanwhile, the girl that was cowering on the floor attempted to escape. She crawled away slightly, but as soon as she got a few feet away all three of them turned toward her.

"Tenten…" Naruto said. Her eyes widened in surprise, how did he know her name? Oh yeah… he just said. "Look, he's not going to hurt you, he likes how you smell… oddly enough." She gave a weird yet fearful look. "We won't hurt you either."

"Naruto…" Neji growled.

"You're getting soft." Shikamaru said. "Just kill her! Damn it, your all so troublesome." He walked toward her. "If you guys aren't going to drink from this one, don't mind if I do." Neji grabbed his shoulder.

"No you won't. We have exactly three hours till dawn."

"And? It'll only take fifteen minutes."

"She knows too much. Just let him Neji." Naruto interrupted.

"No. I want to keep this one." They both gave him a weird look. Naruto felt his forehead.

"Are you feeling warm at all Neji?" Naruto asked in a very doctoral tone. Neji pulled his hand away.

"What the hell are you doing Naruto?!" He snarled.

"What the hell are you doing Neji?! For godsake you want to keep a mortal with us! Do you know what'll happen? We can't just do that! Take her unwillingly? Good gawd what the hell are you thinking? Did her pure smell get to your head?" Naruto almost yelled it out, but controlled himself. "What's with you and sniffing people anyway?" He scratched the back of his head.

"It's her boobs isn't it? You drink from whores… no wonder." Shikamaru raised his eyebrow and looked at Neji.

"You're such a pervert." Naruto said and stuck his tongue out.

"Look who's talking. At least I don't invade Sasuke's dirty thoughts, about his _wife_. Honestly Naruto, do you have no shame?" Shikamaru questioned. He glared at Naruto. Naruto glared back.

"Idiots." Neji grumbled. A small giggle escaped the girl's lips. Neji looked at her quizzically. She tried covering her mouth, but it was of no avail. She burst out laughing. The trio didn't know what to do. Naruto panicked.

"Shh!! Shshshshhhh!!" He ran over and covered her mouth. She was still laughing.

"Naruto, you're going to make her choke if you keep doing that." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

"What am I supposed to do!? Damn it shut up!" Neji rolled his eyes.

"Move Naruto." Neji instructed. The vampire did so. Neji stepped in front of her and she tried to stop her laughing, but failed. "You guys… better not say anything, or I swear I'll kill you later." He warned. The two backed off slightly. Neji grasped her by the chin, and looked deeply into her brown eyes. "Tenten…" He whispered softly, double-checking her name. He pulled her against him, his cold breath in her ear. She shivered and closed her eyes. She instantly stopped laughing.

Tenten's body was acting on its own. _'Oh gawd, what's this feeling…'_ She felt a deep sensation inside her. She was being seduced. _'No…'_ She shut her eyes. "You're being a distraction. Shut up." _'Charming Neji… charming.'_ Naruto thought.

She could feel Neji everywhere. He surrounded her, and the worse part is, she was enjoying this feeling. Her eyes traveled to his lips. His head moved down to nuzzle her neck. She whimpered. Tenten couldn't take it. She wanted him. She didn't care about who or what he was; this feeling was too great. She needed him, here and now. She grasped him by the collar pressed his mouth roughly against his.

"Wow… he's good." Shikamaru half-growled. Then he noticed Neji wasn't pulling away. He was responding. "Uh oh…" Naruto nodded.

"Should we stop him…? Uhh, erm… them?" He fumbled with his words. Gawd it was getting worse. "Stay on task Neji!" Naruto said. Finally, Neji pulled away.

_'This is wrong all wrong!'_ Neji thought furiously. It never turned out this way when he seduced his meals. She, however, was different. He wanted her. She was pure… She was also defiant… somewhat courageous, attractive, and easy to seduce... "That task has been scrapped tonight." He said breathlessly.

"Don't tell me you're planning to… make her your bride? You barely know the girl!" Naruto yelled furiously. "You're being reckless Neji, Shikamaru and I didn't follow you here so you could find one, we came here to feed."

"So feed from any of the Hyuuga members accept for the baron himself. He is mine to kill." He knocked Tenten out. "I'm dealing with her…"

"You're serious aren't you?" Shikamaru asked. He nodded. "You're just going to let us feed from your clan members?"

"The branch family lives in a completely different area, so there should be no problem." They both gave him blank stares. "Never mind. I'm not feeding tonight."

"Going home to breed you a wife eh?" Naruto grinned ear to ear.

"Shut up Naruto," and with that Neji picked up Tenten and took off.

"Oh gawd… He's lost it. Two whole sickening minutes with a girl and-…"

"Naruto, did you forget we haven't been around a female, an actual mortal female, for over fifty years? And we're still young?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Young-looking." Naruto corrected. "I'm not interested."

Shikamaru gave him a weird look. "Are you gay?"

"Happy? What does that mean? Are you implying something else? I'm straight. Dolt." Naruto punched him.

"What the hell was that for?!" Shikamaru growled.

"Because Neji punched me!" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow again.

Konoha…

"Sakura…" Sasuke came out from out of the shadows, his gaze on her. He instantly noticed her bandaged arms. His expression turned into one of concern. "What happened? Are you alright?" She smiled.

"I'm fine. I spilt some tea on myself that's all." She replied. She didn't want to tell him the truth, because she wouldn't know how he'd react.

She met this stranger a few months ago, when he saved her from some attackers that thought she was a vampire. She almost laughed. She was just pail, and a little slim, but Konoha became extremely paranoid over the past years. No one in their right mind walked outside at night anymore, but she… never really gets to go anywhere.

She snuck out, got caught by some vampire hunters… he came, saved her, and the rest is history… almost. He was kind of odd at first. When he first saw her, she thought that he was going to kill her, just like he did to the vampire hunters. She saw his face, and had to admit, he was gorgeous. At least, if she was going to die, it was at the hands of some beautiful stranger.

Instead, he did the opposite, for some reason he decided to help her get back home… escorting her almost. She could've sworn he had a smile on his face the whole time, but then again, it was dark, she didn't know what she was seeing. He never smiled around her at all...

She felt uncomfortable at first, seeing as how this guy was a complete stranger, but at a closer glance, she felt as if she's known him her entire life. She felt attached to him… and deeply attracted. Who wouldn't be? So eventually the discomfort vanished…

And then, she began to have horrible dreams. These nightmares haunted her, and then, she'd see him. It was strange… she was dreaming of her own death, how vampires came and slaughtered her. She just sat there and watched as it happened, and then he would come… He'd pick up her dead body and take her away. All fears dispersed then, and when she awoke, she'd see him kneeling at her bedside… like he was there the entire time.

Whoever he was, he was her only friend… or the only one that would listen to her pointless ramblings. He could tolerate her… he didn't even have to. He just came…. Almost every week… four, five times even. For what? She didn't know. She was just glad he came.

How this guy came into her room, was a complete mystery to her, but she paid no attention. She was obsessed with him… or infatuated… or whatever it was, she didn't mind. It scared her a little… but he was so different, not to mention handsome. She was falling… she shivered.

He approached her, studying her red arms and legs. "You're bandaging it wrong." He grabbed her arm roughly, and began fixing the bandage.

"You really don't have to do that you know…" She whispered. He glared at her. She tried pulling her arm back, but he pulled it out further. It was then he noticed the large bruises on her arm.

His face darkened. "Who did this to you?" He rolled her sleeve up higher. Sakura gaped. He was getting onto her. He saw all her old bruises, but they were never this bad. He had been suspicious of her aunt and uncle, but he never pushed the subject. She never told him anything about it; after all, she still didn't even know the guy's name. The most she found out about him was that he was a vampire, which she thought was even more attractive, but whenever he was with her, he stayed all night. Didn't vampires have to feed every night? It was just confusing to her…

"Sakura, answer. Who the hell did that to you?!" (Lines look familiar?) She pulled her arm away.

"I-..I …" she stammered. How was she going to explain this one? His glare intensified. She was keeping something from him, and he wanted- no, needed to know what it was. He was always watching her, and even more closely, her relatives. They seemed normal enough, but what happened between them when he wasn't around?

She was obviously thinking about her answer more closely. "I got in a fight with Kokoro."

"Sakura, you're twenty-one. She is fourteen, I'm sure you could kick her ass. Now, just answer the question. No more lies." He said in a lighter tone.

"I'm almost twenty-one remember…? In about twenty-nine days… I believe. I'm looking forward to it though-."

"Sakura! Answer the goddamn question." He growled at her, his anger rising because she tried to change the subject. Sakura inwardly winced. He grabbed her wrist. "Sakura, it was that blasted old bitch wasn't it?!"

His grip was hard and she wasn't strong enough to pull away. "That hurts-…" He snarled. Sasuke hated it when she whined. He had a soft spot for it though since he dealt with it for a long time. He let go of her and sighed. She wasn't going to answer, though his theory of where the bruises came from was probably true. She looked away.

"Sakura…" he said in a much softer tone. "Sakura, who did that to you?" He stroked her cheek with his cold hand and raised her chin up so that she was looking at him. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She wanted to tell him so badly. She looked into his onyx eyes, unable to pull her gaze away. It was like he would see right through her. He saw everything… he could see everything. Her insides churned and then a tear fell down. One after another, tears cascaded down her cheeks.

He looked shocked at first, but then his expressionless face returned. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed. It took him a while to respond, but eventually he wrapped his arms around her small frame and stroked her hair… almost tenderly. She constantly surprised him with her reactions… something he wasn't quite used to yet.

As she cried and as he held her, Sasuke's ears picked up heavy footsteps coming closer and closer. He needed to escape before he got caught here, or at least slip into the shadows for a moment. Sakura was still crying, he couldn't just leave her there. The footsteps were near the door now. "Sakura…" He nudged her. "Sakura get a hold of yourself, someone's coming." She blinked dazedly.

"Wh-…what?" Her tears were still falling. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair clung to her face. It brought déjà vu to Sasuke when he saw her. Just like that night… He turned away and just then, the door opened. There stood her fuming aunt. He let himself get distracted-…

Her aunt's dark eyes instantly landed on him. "Who the hell are you?!"

Naruto stalked around the mansion, looking for his next meal. Shikamaru had already found his, and headed back. Naruto growled. This was a pain… in his back. Someone had a knife against his back, he hadn't found a meal yet, Shikamaru thought he was gay... Could this night be any worse?

"Get out!" A small frail voice yelled. He spun around and looked down. A violet/blue haired girl was in front of him. Oh gawd… not now, he was hungry. Her eyes were the same as Neji's… interesting. Up till now he hadn't seen anyone else around.

"Hinata! Get back!" A man stepped in front of her. "Get out of our house demon!" He waved a sword toward him. Naruto sighed. _'Vampire… I. Am. A. Vampire.' _He was annoyed slightly. He hadn't had a meal in two days… _'These two will do just fine… I guess.'_

"Be careful!" The girl named Hinata told the man.

"You be quiet and let your husband handle this!" The man seethed back. Her husband eh? Naruto smirked. Well, she was cute, and he was decent. They looked good, but there was a flaw. Naruto caught himself… He was checking them out, both man and woman. _'Was Shikamaru serious about the gay thing?'_ He almost broke down. _Almost._

"Listen you two, I'm not in a joking mood tonight, so please, just make my job easier." He stepped closer to the two and grabbed the man's collar. Her husband dropped the sword he was holding as Naruto lifted him. She gasped. As he prepared to bite, but she got down before him and, "Please! Don't hurt him!" Naruto looked at her surprisingly. She looked awful cute kneeling there.

"Aw, don't worry little missy, It won't last long. I'll just take what I need from your husband and-…" Hinata stabbed him, right through the chest. Naruto gaped and his face contorted almost as if he were in pain. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Serves you right monster!" Hinata snarled and drove the sword deeper.

TBC…

AN: Wow, gawd I loved this chapter! –laughs manically- After a reading reviews... I have a question. **Does anyone read the author notes and the summary before the fic anymore?** They tell you a lot actually... O.o

To answer **Moonlight****Blossom's** question… I think you missed the "not" in the sentence. If you're **not** a big fan of sasusaku, I wouldn't recommend reading this. I was saying, this is going to be limey and very very sasusaku…

To tell you the truth, I've read other sasusaku fics where it has gotten beyond the point of kissing it goes into… making out etc..etc… and even then it's not all that passionate. I'm a person that has higher standards for fics (I like feeling and humor --)… that go into dept with these things. It was just awkward reading these types of fics without some sort of balance… So I wasn't satisfied with the others. (Not that… the fics weren't good or anything, I really loved them actually) I decided to write some of my own **lime** between the two… and it seems like a perfect setting no? (There's going to be a lot of Neji and Tenten too perhaps, still deciding… oi)


	5. Chapter 4: Save Me

AN: **Read this, cause I'm answering all of your questions!** Vaguely though, since If I say much more it'll ruin everything! Ok, Itachi… yes, he is involved, but that is a little later on, so you'll just have to see.

As for Naruto and Sasuke's abilities… Well, if I say anything it'll spoil it… but it is answered in this chapter, you'll see. Like before, watch out for foreshadowing's and such, because they will lead you the right way… And yes, this is strictly a canon couple type fic. Other characters from manga… might be involved, haven't decided yet.

Sasuke's OOC around Sakura, simply because well, she is his wife after all… make sense? It should be that way since he is a little more open around her. He did fall in love with her after all…

Hinata is defiantly OOC, but I'm trying to keep all the characters… in character despite their past that has changed them. Hinata… well you'll find out now won't you? They were twelve in the series after all, and as hinted, they are all around twenty-one in my fic… They grew up? They have dark pasts, horrible lives, and a thirst for blood now… onward.

Chapter 4: Save Me

"Who the hell are you?!" Sakura's aunt questioned from the doorway. She let herself snap, but then she realized… she had an image to maintain around others. Instantly, her facial expression went from angry to sweet. Sasuke didn't buy it. "Ah, Sakura… do you want to introduce me to your friend?" she ground out through clenched teeth. There was a problem... Sakura didn't even know his name. "You two seem awfully charming together…"

Sakura looked away, and Sasuke's grip remained around her waist. "He's a friend… auntie… we were just talking."

"Oh," Her aunt raised an eyebrow, "And how did he get in? Dear boy, you look so scrawny… and pail, I, or anyone else for that matter, would've thought you were a vampire or some starving idiot Sakura found on the streets to be her friend. Dear, do forgive me, I'm blabbering. I would offer you something to eat, however I feel rather uncomfortable offering food to strangers." She fanned herself and forced a dainty laugh. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _'Bitch.'_ "You didn't use the front door… and we didn't invite you into our home, you do know you're trespassing…dearie."

Sasuke shrugged. "Actually, _ma'am_," oh how he hated being polite… He gave a dainty fake half smile to mock her, "I'm-…"

"I invited him. He's helping me with schoolwork. He's been here, he was just in the bathroom." Sakura pointed at her small bathroom in the corner. Sasuke glared at her.

"Oh Sakura, well… you know better than to invite people into our house… without telling me or your uncle." Her aunt said fuming slightly, yet still carried a tight smile on her face.

"Mother!" A shrill voice wailed. Kokoro ran up next to her mom with a cute smile. Sakura cringed… _'Here it comes'_… The fourteen year-old's eyes immediately landed on Sasuke. Her eyes lit up, and she sucked her breath in, making herself seem skinnier and her stuffed breasts bigger. Sakura rolled her eyes. Kokoro giggled, obviously trying to get Sasuke's attention. She waved at Sasuke shyly. Sasuke looked away uncomfortably. "Cousin Sakura, is this your friend?" she asked sweetly. Sakura nodded. "Well, hi! I'm Kokoro."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _'Slut…'_ He hated Sakura's cousin. She was always around town… another guy every few weeks… She was whiney and spoiled… "Kokoro now wouldn't be a good time." Sakura said softly. "I'm talking with your mother…" Both Kokoro and her aunt glared at her. The girl's anger was apparent in her eyes. Sasuke's arm tightened around Sakura's waist which didn't go unnoticed by her aunt. Kokoro smiled and began conversation with her cousin.

"Oh shut up! You hardly know anything, damn it! Just butt out you little whore!" Sakura snapped at Kokoro. While her aunt was distracted by their position, Kokoro and Sakura began to argue. Her aunt's anger increased ten fold in a matter of seconds.

Before Sakura could do anything, her aunt pulled her out of Sasuke's arms by the hair and slapped her hard across the face, despite his presence. Her aunt hardly noticed Sasuke anymore. She couldn't even see straight from all the anger.

Kokoro smiled from the doorway and glanced flirtatiously at Sasuke. "Kokoro, go to your room." Her mother commanded lowly. Kokoro closed Sakura's bedroom door with a large grin on her face. This was a weekly routine. Kokoro would come home, and if she didn't like what Sakura was doing or wanted what Sakura had, she would accuse her cousin of stupid things and get her aunt pissed off at her... Even if Sakura was twenty-one, she was at a large disadvantage with the fourteen year old.

"Sakura! How dare you accuse your own cousin of being a whore! Do you think Kokoro would honestly do something like that?! Huh?!" Her aunt tugged on her pink hair. Sakura winced. "You're stupid! You know that?! You can't do anything right and Kokoro is fourteen! She knows better than you do! Quit being such a whiney bitch and make some use of yourself! Make yourself look decent so that some moron will get attracted to you and get married to you so you can butt the hell out of my life! At least the moron won't have to have sex with you because you're probably already pregnant from fucking every single guy in Konoha! You fucking wench; you make me sick!" She screamed at the pink haired girl. Sakura began to tear up. It wasn't even her fault. If a fourteen year old called you a slut when you were almost ten years older than her, what would you do?

"Oh? Oh now you're going to cry? Go on you little baby, that's all you can do is cry!" Her aunt continued. Sakura's tears began to fall now, "I'll teach you, little bitch!" Her aunt punched her, and attempted to hit her again, but forgot about Sasuke. He stopped her fist.

Sasuke was angry, fuming. He could hardly see straight. This is what Sakura went through for the past seven years? He glared at the old woman.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Sasuke seethed. The old woman glared at him.

"This doesn't concern you!" Sakura's aunt attempted to pull her hand away. His grip was too strong. "Let go already!"

"Quit whining like a two year old, you bitch." The woman gaped slightly.

"How dare you?! You come uninvited like this and you assume you can control me in my own house?!" With her free hand, she slapped Sasuke. "Let me tell you something boy, if you think you can take advantage of me, just like my lazy ass excuse for a husband does, or this little bitch right here does, you've got it all wrong!" Her aunt began to cry slightly, her tone wavered, "I have to deal with everything around here! I have no time to do anything for myself!" Sasuke grabbed the woman by the neck. She shut her mouth immediately.

"That's what this is all about?!" Sasuke snarled. "Quit taking it out on other people! Are _you_ stupid?! You're drowning in your own self-pity!" He slammed her against the wall. Sakura's head snapped up, fear in her eyes. "You critique others like you're better than them! You assume too much!" Her aunt attempted to kick him. She was gagging. "You were right to assume one thing though, I am a vampire, and tonight I'm going to make sure you see the hell you put Sakura through!" Sasuke's eyes glowed red, he activated his Sharingan, the blood limit he discovered after Orochimaru sired him, just like Naruto and his Kyuubi… that was what the vampire saw in them… their true abilities.

He began to activate his Tsukuyomi to bind her into the time illusion, however, he felt Sakura cling to his arm. Her aunt was passing out. "Please… let go of her…" She begged. He silently cursed his soft spot for her.

"Hn… Sakura," He tried to reason with her. _'What the hell…'_ You'd think Sakura would want her aunt hung and burned for what she's been doing. He did anyway.

"It's not worth it…" she looked away. He looked at her.

"But-… she-…"

"I don't care. I'm used to it…" He gave up, and dropped her gagging aunt onto the floor, much like a rag doll. Her aunt remained silent for the moment, glaring daggers at Sakura and Sasuke. She had yet to gain her voice back.

"She has no right." He forced her to look at him. She had a defiant look in her eyes. Awkward silence set between the two.

"Y-…you little bitch." Her aunt wheezed and slowly got up, holding her neck. _'Does this lady ever let anything rest?'_ Sasuke thought. Immediately, he turned toward her. "You little bitch!" She repeated. The woman leapt out and attempted to hit and claw at Sakura. Sasuke stood in front of her holding the uncontrollable woman back. Sakura stayed behind him, trying to avoid her aunt's attempts to hit her. She whimpered slightly.

Sasuke was irritated. This old hag was going _way_ too far with him. Usually he didn't even bother with a person like her, that wasn't until she stopped attempting to hit Sakura and clawed at his face, drawing a little bit of blood in order for him to get out of the way. He glared at her. His fists clenched…

Sasuke grabbed the old hag by the hair and threw her against the wall, receiving a small surprised yelp from Sakura and a scream from the woman. Sasuke grabbed her and forced her to stand up by the hair. "You have no fucking shame do you?!" he seethed. Sakura gasped and ran over tugging on Sasuke's arm trying to get him to let go.

"Please don't! It'll only cause problems-…"

"Shut up Sakura! Stay put!" He threw her off. Nothing could control him right now… His sharingan eyes were blazing. Sakura was thrown onto the floor, fear in her eyes as she watched Sasuke. He directed his gaze at her aunt. "You…" He let go of her hair, grabbed her neck, and sank his teeth in. Her aunt kicked and punched Sasuke. Her eyes were clenched shut, she screamed and panicked. However, Sasuke was reversing the order her blood went up to her neck. She was gagging on her own blood.

Sakura could only watch in horror. Her eyes were wide open, she couldn't move. Her aunt eventually stopped moving, her hands dropped to her sides… Sakura turned her gaze toward Sasuke, who was finishing up his meal. Her heartbeat almost stopped. She felt an overwhelming desire to have his fangs plunged into her throat. To have him drink from her… Her aunt was forgotten. She almost groaned in frustration… how it would feel if his fangs were there, licking and sucking… Sakura's breathing became shallow; she was burning with want. _'What's wrong with me…'_

Sasuke finished his meal. At the corner of his eye he could see Sakura was having some difficulties watching, not her aunt's death, but him. He smirked and drew his fangs out, licking his lips. He dropped the now dead body onto the floor carelessly, and stepped over it, returning to Sakura's side. He grasped her chin, "So you liked that did you?" He looked into her green eyes. She chocked. She didn't know how to react… She couldn't look at anything but him.

He picked her up from the floor and put her onto the bed. Sasuke inhaled her scent slightly; it gave him chills. He missed that… He nuzzled her neck, pressing his lips lightly onto it. She shivered and leaned into him. "Are you ever going to tell me who you are?" she asked softly, with her eyes closed, taking pleasure in what he was doing to her.

"You already know who I am…" He bit down slightly. She gasped, "You'll know everything soon…" He pulled away, despite Sakura's protest. "You're going to come with me. I'm taking you away from here." She gave him an awkward look, uncomfortable with the sudden rush.

"But-…"

"Your aunt is dead, and she's in your room. Who do you think they'll blame?"

"Kokoro saw you too… she might blame the both of us."

He shook his head, "I'm going to kill her too." Sakura shook her head.

"Why?! She didn't-…"

"She saw me, called you a slut and… I'm still hungry. Too bad."

"My uncle-…"

"I'll… forget him. He's asleep and drunk… they'll think he killed them." Sakura wanted to object, but she felt… neutral about this. He was rescuing her… and she didn't have a choice, did she? No, Sasuke walked out of her room. Sakura winced; she could hear Kokoro scream from the other side. Inwardly, she wanted to smile, but instead she cringed. She felt crazy.

Sakura looked at her aunts dead body on the floor. She was in disbelief... was her aunt... killed so easily?... that blasted old fart that abused her for a whole seven years? She was killed in a matter of seconds. Sakura studied the body curiously. She poked it slightly.... Her face darkened and she realized, she was weak... too weak... she felt like crying again.

Hinata drove the sword deeper, she growled. Naruto gasped, out of surprise… not out of pain. He pulled her sword out. It was her turn to gasp. "Look missy… I am really not in the mood." Naruto said cheerfully… yet he meant every word he was saying fully. He was angry. He wanted to feed, he needed to… and she just stabbed him. He shoved her out of the way roughly and grabbed her cowering husband.

Hinata attempted to hit him, but Naruto blocked and grasped her hand. She attempted to attack with her free hand, but he grabbed that one too, and pinned her arms behind her back with a single hand. "Stay put." He commanded lowly and plunged his fangs into the man's neck. Hinata was struggling, but Naruto just kept going. When he was done, he released the man and discarded his body.

"Sorry lady, but-…" Naruto began to apologize, but Hinata finally managed to snag her hands out of his and punched him. If she was going to die, she won't without a fight.

She and her husband just came home, from a trip to the hidden village of wind. She has been to all the other hidden villages so she knew what she was dealing with. She hated these beasts… this inhumane creatures of the night. She had no tolerance for them.

Her reason? She was just the third generation… her grandmother… her grandfather, her aunts were all killed by them. A once powerful branch family member named Neji was taken, and most likely slain by them, and then the blame had to be on someone, anyone.

Hell broke loose in the Hyuuga household, who once lived in Konoha, but only a few knew about the vampires. They didn't want history to repeat itself… They left the leaf village and came here… an isolated area further away from the village; that was around the time Neji lived.

It was all because of the vampires. The head family and the branch family blamed each other, all because they weren't strong enough to protect him, or they were a failure to their ancestors… Little did they know, Neji also blames the head family for his own kidnapping, and for what he became.

Naruto ducked Hinata's next punch. He knew what she was upset about… he could read it. So that is why… he now knew why Neji wanted revenge. He blamed the head family for everything… interesting. "Look, I'm not going to do anything to you." Naruto stated finally. Hinata didn't look convinced. She kept at it. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop. "Oh, just quit it already! You stabbed me, isn't that enough?"

"You killed my husband…" she scowled…

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, sorry about that." he shrugged.

"Saying sorry isn't going to bring him back!" Naruto looked at her… reading her thoughts.

"You never wanted him anyway." He said. Hinata gasped in surprise.

"How did you-…"

"Ya pick up interesting abilities when you're a vampire…" Naruto smiled. "So don't act like you're all mad. You don't look like the type to be anyway…" Hinata was now extremely surprised. This guy was weird… he was friendly. A friendly vampire? The guy just sucked all the blood out of her husband! She thought he was going to suck out all of her blood or something. "I'm really sorry my kind did that to your family though… but it's not all of us… It's not _my_ fault your family is messed up." She slapped him. Naruto didn't react.

"What do you know…" her voice got quiet. She was upset slightly at the fact that this vampire was different, and he invaded her privacy and he knew everything! She felt shy again…

"Guess I deserved that, but whatever lady…" Naruto began to walk off. "I'm done for the night… and yeah…" Naruto didn't know what to do. This was awkward… Hinata was staring at the dead body. "I'll take care of him… I doubt your family will miss him either." She stared at him. "He was a hard ass huh? And he violated you a lot now didn't he… ah, you poor girl." Naruto muttered. He blinked. "I uhh, I'll be going now." He picked up the body and raised his eyebrow at her. "Yes, I do regret killing and drinking out of them like this but-… gotta live you know?"

He was answering all of her questions… just reading her thoughts and answering everything. She was having fun… at least she didn't have to talk as much. Naruto smiled. "Thanks for the nice meal…" He said and took off. Hinata blinked. _'What… what the heck just happened?'_

"Let me go!" Tenten struggled against her restraints. She finally had a good look at her kidnapper. He had the byakugan eyes… _'Who is this guy?' _ "What are you going to do with me?" She tried harder to escape, slightly cutting herself.

"Quit struggling because I'm not going to let you go." He growled.

"Why? So you could sniff me all day?" She questioned with a slight hint of humor in her voice. Tenten raised an eyebrow. He had a such weird fetish...

"Hmph." He glared at her.

TBC…

AN: This was all about Sakura… I needed to end it somewhere, it was just difficult to figure out when… the chapters are soo friggen long because there's so much detail! But that's… ok I guess… ehh… this one is done.

Strangely enough, I know a lot of pople like the characters in my fic.


	6. Chapter 5: Infatuation

AN: Well, well, I'm enjoying this far too much… Oh yeah, the Hyuuga's ability. The genjutsu thingie… that's what Neji developed then he became a vamp… =) Shikamaru and his shadow… I'll stop there.

Chapter 5: Infatuation

Sasuke stalked toward the mansion, Sakura in tow. He honestly didn't care how the others would react, more specifically, how Naruto would act. Sakura on the other hand, was panicking. She was still trying to take in all the events of the night and here she was going to go live with some vampire that she didn't even know the name of, what's going to happen to her now?

Sasuke wasn't concerned with that. He was still deciding on whether to revive her memories now, or wait until she was actually twenty-one. He liked the age… and it would only be a few more days… He entered the mansion, preparing for the onslaught of questions. Sakura hid behind him.

"Sasuke…" Shikamaru muttered, glaring at him. _'What the hell did I do now?'_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru grabbed his collar. It looked funny though, Shikamaru was quite a bit shorter than Sasuke. "Where the have you been?! You left me alone with Naruto! _Naruto,_ Sasuke! And then I had to tag along with Neji so he can bring home some bloody woman, are you trying to put me through the second level of hell?!"

Sasuke smirked and shrugged. Shikamaru growled. He had a thing against women… Sasuke was still standing there. Shikamaru blinked a couple of times. _'Did… did I just see pink?'_ He released his collar. "Sasuke… what the hell is that behind you?" He tried looking behind the vampire; unfortunately, he couldn't see anything because of his height. Sasuke still wouldn't move, that wasn't until a small sneeze sounded behind him. He turned around and looked at Sakura.

Shikamaru decided to give up trying and went behind him instead. His eyes widened; he grabbed her by the arm. "Wh-… what the hell is this?!" He gaped at Sasuke. _'Don't tell me he got a bride too…'_ "Another bloody woman?!" Shikamaru glared at the dark haired vampire expecting a good answer. Sasuke grabbed Sakura back.

"That would be Sakura." he replied calmly. She waved shyly. Shikamaru stepped back. Well, at least she was pretty… sort of…

"Don't let Ino see her…" Sasuke shrugged, "is she useful?" Shikamaru asked with a grin on his face. Sasuke glared at him and started walking toward his private chambers dragging Sakura along. Shikamaru smacked himself in the forehead. "Two…" His eye twitched. "Two bloody women in the house… three if you count Ino… next thing you know Naruto's going to-…"

"Hey! Shikamaru guess what?!" Naruto chimed in gleefully and smacked him on the shoulder. "I met a girl… she's kind of weird, and she stabbed me, and slapped me, and punched me, but ahh heck, she's a kind one. You think-…" Shikamaru's glare silenced him.

Shikamaru held his hand in front of his face, as if he were counting. "That makes… four. Four bloody women in the house…" He muttered mostly to himself. He looked distraught. "Four…" With the way he said it, the number seemed evil. Naruto stared at him blankly. Shikamaru held up four fingers. "Four women…"

Naruto grinned. "You really have to get over your phobia of women Shikamaru…" The vampire glared at the blonde.

"I don't have a phobia…"

Naruto stared at him…"Uh… huh…" He stopped for a moment… that probing in his mind was coming back. He grinned. More of Sasuke's dirty thoughts…

"What is it Naruto?" Shikamaru asked curiously. Naruto rubbed his hands together evilly.

"Sasuke is dreaming about his wife again…"

"_Wife?!_ That's who that pink haired girl was?"

Naruto gave him a weird look. "Yeah… how'd you know her hair was pink?"

Shikamaru waved at the air in front of him… "She was right here… that woman was his wife?! Since when did that Uchiha guy take interest in women… in that sort of way?"

Naruto smirked. "That's… another story. But you said she was here? Impossible, she was killed by Orochimaru's henchmen."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Are… you sure? She was right here!" He waved at the air again.

"Yes. I may not have a large memory, but that event was… different. I won't forget it. If she was here though… she should be very old…" Naruto placed a hand under his chin, his eyes narrow.

"She looked like she was in her twenties." Shikamaru crossed his arms. Realization hit the both of them. "You don't suppose…"

"Sasuke learned a zombie jutsu." Naruto said grimly. Shikamaru nodded.

"Those idiots…" Sasuke muttered. He forgot about them for the moment and looked at Sakura, who was currently deposited on the bed and glancing at everything around her. She touched the mattress, the pillows, and the sheets.

"Wow, this is a beautiful place." She murmured dreamily. He nodded, considering the circumstances they received the house in… it wasn't all that great. "How did you guys get this place?" He shrugged but remained silent. He should've asked Kakashi where he was living when he was alive or dead whichever... Regret was looming over him. "Sasuke." His head snapped up in surprise. "That's your name isn't it?" she asked curiously.

He looked away. "Yeah…"

She smiled. "Well, now I at least know a bit more… what are we going to do now?" He gave her a weird stare. "I mean… what can I do around here…? I can help you guys clean up a bit… or something."

"You won't have to do anything around here…" _'Yet.'_ He added silently. She sighed.

"How long do you plan to let me stay here?" He shrugged. _'Eternity…'_ he couldn't help but smirk. Silence engulfed the two for a while.

His eyes scanned her. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to rip off her clothes and take here and now, but he's a gentleman… sort of, to her anyway. He's going to have to wait until she was his bride again to do that. He growled in frustration. She was just too damn tempting… just sitting there… glancing at him at times, sighing… He approached her and grabbed her wrist, snarling. He needed to do something... anything to relieve this frustration. She winced slightly.

"Sasuke… what are you-…" He cut her off. His lips settled on her palm, and traveled down to her wrist. He bit down slightly, drawing a little bit of blood. She gasped. It felt oddly… good. She tried pulling her wrist back. He glared at her and licked the small amount of blood, taking in its sweet taste… her taste. The taste he's been waiting for… all these years. He couldn't stop… he wanted more. "Sasuke…" she said softly. He didn't pay attention.

Sakura was starting to feel woozy, and uncomfrotable. Why wasn't she stopping him? She knew why... inside she wanted him too... why, was the question she kept asking. She bit her lip. Sasuke didn't show any sign of stopping soon. What possesed him to start this...? It was something more... an allegory of events she just couldn't understand. He was affecting her more than she could ever imagine. His eyes were clenched shut. He was taking in everything... He opened his eyes and looked straight into her... through her... Sakura gave in.

He moved to her neck. His cold breath caressed her skin, making goose bumps. She shivered and closed her eyes. He kissed it, nipping and sucking slightly. She moaned and leaned into him, taking pleasure in what he was doing. His lips traveled to her ear. She could hear his steady breathing… she could feel his breath… It felt so familiar… she wanted to explore it… she needed to.

Sakura pulled Sasuke up so that his onyx eyes could meet with her green ones. He was breathing heavily. There was want and something else… something that was meant only for her to see in his dark eyes. _'What was it…?'_ He glanced at her lips, which were a mere millimeter away. He leaned in slowly…A little closer and-…

She grabbed him and pressed her lips against his urgently, sending shockwaves through her. Sakura couldn't resist it…she quivered. This was what she needed. She wanted him, now. He smirked into the kiss… Oh, how he missed the moments when she lost control… he was just about to deepen it… and then-…

"Sakura-chan!" the two broke apart abruptly. Sakura gasped slightly, a slight blush tainted her cheeks. He desperatly want to plunge a knife into Naruto's throat for interrupting them. True, Sasuke and Sakura were close, but they never went this far. Sasuke was always under control, but the rush and the excitement of having her again was nagging at him. He was getting far too impatient for his own good… a few more days… Sasuke snarled. It was only a few more days…

Naruto was still banging on the door. Sasuke opened it, glaring at the blonde vampire. His fists clenched. Naruto didn't pay attention, instead he ran straight toward the bed, inspecting Sakura. He blinked. "Wow Sasuke, I'm amazed. It almost looks like the real Sakura." Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you talking about Naruto?!" Sasuke asked irritably. _'He better have a good reason for coming in here like this...'_

"You! And your zombie mistress… you know, you're going to have ugly children." He responded out of the blue. Sakura gaped. She was offended. _'Did he just say I was ugly?!'_ She smacked the blonde over the head. Naruto grinned and rubbed his head. "Hey, you even made it's reactions right…" he placed a hand under his chin.

Sasuke growled. "Naruto, she's not a zombie." Naruto poked her a couple of times.

"Are… you sure?" he gulped. Skin that soft couldn't belong to a zombie. "That means… Sakura-chan! You look the same as you did when you were young!" Sakura glared at him. Naruto reached out and grabbed Sakura into a large hug, laughing like a maniac. _'Now he's saying I'm old?! How does this guy know me…?'_ She was fuming... and gagging. One moment she was enjoying her blissful moment with Sasuke and now all of that was ruined by some weirdo who thinks she's old and ugly.

"Naruto…let her go..." Sasuke ground out, noticing that she began to change colors. Then that meant… Naruto released her immediatly and scratched the back of his head.

"I. Am. Not. Old." Sakura's tone wavered.

"You're a ghost?" Naruto asked Sakura curiously. She sighed…

"Sasuke… who is this?" she asked the dark haired vampire. Sasuke snarled.

"He would be Naruto… he's an idiot… forgetful…"

Naruto glared at Sasuke and shook his head a few times. He looked at her straight into her eyes. "All timers is kicking in already?!" Sasuke knocked him over the head.

"She's not old dobe!" Sasuke repeated. Sakura growled. She had so many urges to hit this Naruto guy over the head.

"Naruto…" his name came out as a whisper on her lips. That name sounded familiar and annoying to her at the same time. Her head began to pound slightly. She rubbed her temples… Both Naruto and Sasuke turned toward her.

"Sakura-chan? You… how-…" Naruto didn't know how to approach this subject. One of his best friends were back, and he was extremely glad… but why couldn't she remember him? There was no explanation. Sakura began to think on this subject. Everything was coming together… it was all so familiar… and yet so vague… she wanted to know so badly… why can't she place it? It was on the tip of her tongue…

"She was… reborn." Her head snapped up. She looked at Sasuke with a questioning gaze. Naruto did the same, but grinned.

"Well," Naruto hit Sasuke over the head, "Why the hell didn't you say anything to any of us?!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura sighed. She lost her train of thought completely._ 'What the hell is going on…?'_

"Are you going to tell me who you are?" Tenten was getting tired of trying to make conversation with this guy. He was just sitting there, looking at her… and probably waiting for a chance to sniff at her again. She cringed. "Are you going to let me go?" Neji remained silent. "Quit ignoring me!" she yelled in frustration. "Why'd you bring me here anyway?" He glared at her. "Well, at least I got some sort of reaction…" she sighed.

Neji sat there staring at her. He was enjoying it… her frustrated sighs, her pleas, her questions… he liked watching her, and yet, at the same time, he had the urge to plunge a knife through her chest and watch her blood flow… for the heck of it. She was getting to him, to his very nerve and core. She's only been here for two days and she's already affecting him in this way. He looked away. Something was different, and it wasn't her smell, that was a bonus.

Tenten pulled at her restraints. She was angry… He could at least talk to her.

"What are you to the Hyuuga's anyway…?" He spoke. She looked up at him surprisingly. He was talking?

"What do you mean?" She retorted.

"I mean, what use are you to those bloody bastards?" He snarled. She blinked a couple of times. _'Isn't he a Hyuuga member…? Why is he speaking about his clan that way?'_ "Are you a mere servant? Or is the head family using you for some other reason…"

"Why would you assume their using me for something?" She was curious now.

"You… are different." Tenten raised an eyebrow. _'Different? That's the best answer he can come up with?'_ She shrugged. "Who are you really?" He questioned.

"You keep me here for two days and you never asked me that question?" His glare intensified. "I'm Tenten."

"That much I know… I meant who the hell are you… _really._" He was losing his patience.

She sighed. "You mean my relation to the Hyuugas?" He nodded. Neji eyed her carefully. She was dressed as a maid… but something told him that wasn't it… "First, tell me who you are, and why you seem to despise the Hyuuga's so much. Judging by your appearance, however, you are also a Hyuuga member, are you not?" If he wanted the answer, he'd have to trade. Neji nodded.

"I'm Hyuuga Neji," he said lowly.

"Branch I'm guessing from your previous answer…" she confirmed. He nodded again.

"The head family-…" He didn't know how to go about with this subject. What was he supposed to say? He thought about his answer for a while. "It's their fault… that-…" He couldn't say it… Tenten stared at him, and sensed his discomfort with the subject. She was a patient person, she could wait. Patient, not nosy… she eyes him, expecting the answer. Neji was still silent. She wasn't going to get the answer anytime soon. She sighed.

"I'm not a maid in the household." She decided to start instead. "I'm an assassin…" He blinked a couple of times. "That night… you guys appeared I was supposed to carry out my task, but I was afraid I'd been caught… I just didn't expect to be caught by a vampire…" She growled in frustration… "And now, thanks to you, I don't get my reward money and I didn't even get to threaten my target." Neji felt kind of bad. He had gone too far that night… It's all her fault anyway… she shouldn't have kissed him.

"So… who was your target anyway?" he asked lowly. She smirked.

"The Byakugan village baron… the head family's leader." His eyes widened in surprise. They had the same target? No… she would not deprive him of his revenge. Nice smelling and pure or not, he's not going to allow her to do that. Maybe he could use this to his advantage… she's tied up here, what can she do? Neji smirked.

"He won't be your concern anymore."

Tenten scowled, "Your turn." He stiffened.

"Shikamaru!!" A voice squeaked. He turned around slowly.

"What do you want Ino…" he asked her dully. She groaned and threw her arms around his neck resting her head on his shoulder.

"Have you seen Sasuke-kun?" she asked sweetly.

"He's busy."

"Oh…?" She sounded disappointed. "Shika…" she whined. "This is the worst day of my life… if he pushes me away again, I swear I'll snap." She clenched his collar.

"He always pushes you away anyway and I think you've already snapped." He pushed her hands off his collar. Ino was one of his good friends… after Chouji… How she was, he would never know, but he had a suspicion it had something to do with Sasuke and his relation to the dark haired vampire. He didn't really mind having her around as much as the others and that's why she would come to him… usually. Chouji used to tease him about her all the time. He just didn't shrug her off… that's all.

She was the only female he was fine around. Though sometimes, he would get jealous of Sasuke for all the attention he got from her… his thoughts were jumbled and so were his emotions. Would it help if he said she was the last thing that came to his mind before he went to sleep? He told her that once, and she laughed… and Chouji patted him on the shoulder, a fake tear in his eye, and an apologetic look on his face. Though inwardly, he was laughing. Ahh, memories…

"Shikamaru, do you think I can stay here for a while?" she asked casually.

"That was random, why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I… I just don't have a place to stay for the moment." She laughed nervously.

"I know you better than that Ino, you want to try and get Sasuke again." His eye twitched. "He's not going to be interested, he has a wife…" the words came out more like a growl. Ino grabbed his shirt.

"I promise I won't try… I just need a place to stay. That's it! Honest…" She pouted, and looked at him with large teary blue orbs. The puppy dog look… She knew he couldn't resist it. Shikamaru shut his eyes tightly. _'You can't do it… you'll regret it…'_ He was debating with himself… but he just couldn't leave her…

Before he could reason with himself any further he answered. "Yes."

TBC…

AN: That was all conversation… mostly, since the past chapters were all narration I figured, why not… let's get into the characters a bit more… eh, or perhaps the after affects of writing the latest chapter of "hidden" is getting to me. Anyway… the next chapter will be more interesting then this… it's killing me how this chapter turned out to be nothing but conversation, but I already said everything I needed to in the last five chapters… or did I…? Who knows, I don't. I'm wingin' it. I promise, Its going to get juicy soon. And pray that I get into my dark mood... so I can write this story correctly. I'm just too darn positive right now. =)


	7. Chapter 6: Retribution

AN: Apologies for the delay… without further ado…

Chapter 6: Retribution

Hinata sat silently in her room, pondering the events that occurred. It had been a few days ago since she met that strange blonde vampire in her home. She was intrigued. How could one, that's so murderous and vicious, be that… caring? It scared her slightly. She was being rash, judging things like that. She shook her head trying to get rid of the image.

It was foolish to think of him any longer, yet she found her thought wandering toward it again. Deciding to get some fresh air and away from the blonde invading her thoughts, she walked toward her window and opened it, letting the breeze flow in. She shivered. Her pearl eyes landed on the moon gazing at its majestic beauty. It was a full moon…

Without a second thought she climbed though the large window and onto the roof. Heaven looked like it was a step away from here she was at. She smiled slightly. Admiring the moon was like a hobby to her. It gave her calm, and it cleared her mind of any distraction. It was her escape…

Neji sighed, half in relief and half in frustration. Since the night Tenten told him about her true intentions, she'd been questioning about his, claiming it was a free trade. He told her that she didn't have to tell him anything, in his own defense, but this Tenten girl was stubborn. For the next few days she continued asking him, until he got fed up with her and stormed out of the house. Unconsciously, bumping into Naruto, Sasuke, and his wife, Sakura, along the way. It didn't surprise him much that Sasuke had his wife beside his side again, he just didn't think Sasuke would be stuck with a bright and bubbly person like her…

He felt rather awkward about it… seeing that Uchiha smiling… or half-smiling all the time made his blood, whatever's left of it, boil. How could he be concerned with such a thing? Neji saw everything in all of his 'friends' and Sasuke had a bone to pick with some man, he just couldn't figure out who, but up until he figured out the Uchiha had a wife, Sasuke had distanced himself with anything on revenge… for a little bit anyway and focused on something completely different. It was obviously something Neji couldn't pick up right away. Whatever Sasuke was focusing on, he found himself focused the same way on his prisoner. Love? He could laugh. It was probably a different attraction. Lust.

Now, he had no idea what to do with that woman. She'd ask questions, seek answers, and wouldn't stop until she found the answers she wanted. Persistence can be a bad thing. He growled. He was running, avoiding her… and he knew it.

And now, he finally made it. He was in front of the Hyuuga estate. Tonight would be the night he'd take his revenge and with Tenten locked up, it was certain that he would be the one to kill the baron. His body was shaking with anticipation.

He walked through the house, knowing exactly where to go. His memory never failed him, and here he was… in front of the baron's bedroom door. Neji smirked. The old fart had his leg over his wife's stomach, causing her to make a weird choking noise. He snored loudly too; how that woman could stand it… he would never know. He stared at the two curiously. They looked… different. Heck, they didn't even look like Hyuugas… _'What does that mean…?'_ His fists clenched. He reached out and grabbed the snoring man off of his wife by the neck, causing him to wake immediately. The man was slightly groggy. Neji shook him a bit. The man's eyes widened.

"Answer my question old man, who the hell are you?!" Neji seethed.

"I-…I-…." He stuttered on his words. He couldn't react, everything was so sudden. His wife stirred awake and blinked a couple of times. "Honey, something wrong?" Seeing the situation her husband was in she began scream. Neji quickly released her husband, grabbed a nearby bed sheet and wrapped it around her mouth and neck to prevent her from screaming any further. She shook violently and thrashed around.

"You, shut up or I'll kill you and your husband here and now." He pulled the sheet even tighter. She gagged and began to cry, stopping her actions immediatly. Neji returned to deal with her husband, but during the time he spent gagging the baron's wife, the old man managed to get a knife and waved it defensively in front of him.

"Let my wife go you sick bastard!" he commanded.

"Very noble of you." Neji stated flatly, his cool demeanor unaffected. He took a step toward the baron. The old man gasped.

"S-…s- stay away! I'm warning you!" he took a step back and tripped.

"Just answer the damn question and maybe I'll spare you, who the hell are you?!" Neji questioned angrily.

"I-… I'm the village baron!" he gulped; beads of sweat began to trail down.

"No shit! I mean, why the hell isn't a Hyuuga the Baron?!" Neji stepped closer and was almost nose-to-nose with the man, who whimpered pathetically. Neji's blank eyes remained on the cowering man, demanding an answer silently. Quickly the old man plunged the knife though Neji's chest.

"Take that!" Neji sighed. He'd been here before, but with Tenten holding the knife. It was frustrating him. He neatly drew it out and licked the small amount of blood from it. The geezer sat there gaping in horror, same with is wife.

_'I'm really sick of people stabbing me.'_ "If you don't answer me… I'll kill you right now."

The man whimpered. "O-ok! I-… the Hyuuga's are all gone! Th-they were m-murdered, only a few of them survived! Please don't kill me!" he begged.

"Too vague." Neji held the knife to the man's throat.

"W-wait! I'll tell you more!" Neji raised an eyebrow and nodded. "It… it was a decade ago. The feud between the Hyuuga's continued, and members of this village as well. Th-they killed each other and the Baron also, but there was a girl that survived…" Neji growled. "Oh god! Please don't kill me!"

"Oh? Where is she?" he asked lowly.

"I-…I took care of her… sh-she's somewhere i-in the house. Please, I beg of you, go ahead and kill me but not my wife and Hinata please!"

"So suddenly you're a saint." Neji smirked and shrugged. "Sorry old man, now that you've seen me I can't allow you to live." Silently, he cursed his soft spot. This wasn't the man that caused him his eternal damnation. It was a Hyuuga of the head family. A man with blonde looking hair and green eyes certainly isn't a Hyuuga… _'Damn…'_ Neji pulled the knife away from his throat. "Tell me where the remaining survivor of the family is, and I will spare you and your wife."

"I-…I can't."

"You can't or you won't? Just say it!"

"I can't allow you to kill her, and I won't let you!" Neji growled in frustration. This old man contradicted himself more than Shikamaru did. He didn't want to die and yet he'd risk his life for his wife and his foster child. He won't tell where his child was but he can't either, but he doesn't want to lose his life if he did so. _'It's decided… someone is going to die.'_

"Look you old fart, just tell me one thing. Is she from the head family, or from the branch?"

"She's from the head." Neji smirked. _'Someone is **definitely **going to die tonight.'_

Naruto was hungry… very hungry. His stomach hadn't stopped growling and he hadn't fed for a good three days, big accomplishment for him. Inwardly, he gave himself a pat on the back. However, his need for blood was at its max tonight. A thought came to his mind. Naruto grinned evilly.

That Hyuuga girl he met a few days ago was interesting. There was a problem, he let her live. He felt guilty for killing her husband, but she didn't mind, and she was brave. So he allowed her to live, and now what was he going to do? He broke the pact the four of them made: If any mortal saw them, that mortal shall die by the next full moon. _'Well, Neji has a mortal and he didn't kill her... why do I have to? This is unfair.'_ He scratched the back of his head irritably. _'I swear I have flees, that damn Kyuubi,'_ "Look what you've done..." He muttered mostly to himself.

She seemed nice enough, but looks are deceiving… she probably ran to everyone in the village and announced that vampires were present, and stirred up panic and chaos... Well, that just ruined Neji's plan for revenge, but not for him... He rubbed his hands together evilly. Hopefully it didn't go too far like it did in Konoha. He sighed. _'Might as well take care of the problem now… right?'_ Nice and brave or not, Hinata would have to go… Naruto rolled his eyes and took off, killing wasn't his forte....

Sakura browsed through the house, exploring for a little while. Sasuke went off somewhere, leaving her to do whatever she felt. She found herself in the library. She always loved reading. When looking upon the shelf she found some strange books… whatever they were, they looked odd… Well, that was one way to put it. Something caught her eye. Sakura pulled out one book and saw the cover, "Come Come Paradise" vol. 1. Curious she opened it to a random page and read… _'He grabbed-…'_

Sakura immediately closed the book and shut her eyes, cringing. _'Is this what they read?!'_ She gulped and daintily placed the book back in its place. Noticing that these "Come Come Paradise" books lined the entire shelf… and then some. Deciding to avoid that particular book altogether, she walked to the other side of the library, studying the other collections of books around. She smiled triumphantly when she finally found something that looked interesting… She began to walk toward a nearby chair, until a breeze from an open window blew in. Her head snapped up and she turned toward the window. Her face lit up. _'Wow… a full moon…'_ "It's so beautiful," she whispered dreamily.

Suddenly, Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. She instantly knew who it was… Sasuke. He appeared behind her, locking one arm around her waist, the other pushing her hair out of the way, exposing her neck. "Sasuke-kun, you're back, so soon?" He didn't answer her question. She kept her eyes on the moon, trying to distract herself from him.

"Sakura…" he whispered hoarsely into her ear. She could feel him smiling. "Do you know what today is?" She nodded slowly. Of course she knew what today was… "I've waited a long time for it…" She stiffened slightly. He moved down to her neck allowing the tip of his fangs to touch it. She shivered. _'What did that mean?'_ "You'll know everything soon enough…" She gulped.

Sasuke brought both of his hands up running them through her hair. Her knees turned to jelly… she quivered and closed her eyes. "Sasuke-kun… what are you doing…?" He didn't answer. Instead, his fangs bit down slightly. She whimpered. He pulled himself away from her exposed neck.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked suddenly. She smiled.

"I was going to read… I guess. What are libraries for right?" He nodded. "I have a question though… What's with these "Come Come Paradise" novels?" He stiffened and coughed.

"They… they were here when we moved in." _'Nice excuse.'_ Sasuke thought to himself sarcastically.

"Uh… huh…" Sakura seemed unconvinced. "Anyway… where did you go?" He shrugged. The two stood together… looking at the full moon.

"Sakura…" He whispered into her ear. Sasuke's arms tightened around her waist. He brushed her hair away.

"Hm?"

He smirked. "Happy Birthday." She smiled. In one swift moment, before she could react or say anything, he plunged his fangs down her neck. Sakura stiffened and gasped. She found herself paralyzed. The blood was flowing backwards; she let out a small-strangled cry. The life was being drained from her body. She was beginning to feel weak. Every thing was going so fast… _'So… this is how it feels…'_ She closed her eyes. _'It feels so…good…'_ Soon, her hands dropped to her sides; she dropped the book she was holding. Her body slumped over.

Sasuke caught her petite form and settled onto the carpeted floor, with holding her in his lap. He couldn't help but smile, even if it was a half. His beloved would be his again. He cradled Sakura's barely conscious head and placed her mouth over this throat. _'Sakura…'_ He forcefully plunged her barely developed fangs in, making her drink from him. It sent shockwaves throughout his body. _'You're mine again…'_

His snake eyes snapped open. _'A vampire was born tonight...'_ "Orochimaru sire…" A lower vampire addressed him.

"What?"

"Two dead bodies were found in Konoha…"

"And?" Oh, how he dreaded these types of messengers. They never got to the point.

"None of us did it sir."

"This is my concern… how?" He half-growled. "Get to the goddamn point!"

"We believe one of the other four might've done it. The victims were the Haruno's, sir, only the eldest daughter is missing."

Orochimaru laughed. He wasn't stupid, he knew who it was already. It didn't surprise him one bit. He of course, didn't plan on it, but a different plan was already sprouting in his mind. This was a big advantage for him. _'Sasuke's a fool…' _"Now, I know I taught him better than that..." He muttered under his breath.

So, they were still here all along. Finally, after almost a century his kin will come back to him. They let themselves get distracted, and they thought they could lay low. Idiots, as always. They could never fool Orochimaru, their king, their father, their ruler. His laughter became louder.

"S-sire?" He stopped his laughing and glared irritably at the pathetic moron in front of him.

"Leave my sight." Orochimaru commanded sophisticatedly. The messenger did so quickly, tripping over his own feet in fear. The king smirked, he knew someone who would be very interested in this bit of news. Someone who got to his very nerve and core and still remained on his good side. Someone he couldn't trust, but entrust with any task he proposed. Uchiha Itachi…

TBC…

AN: Wee, well, that chapter was fun to write. I like writing this more than Hidden actually… Well, hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you very much for reading!


	8. Chapter 7: Single Refuge

AN: I really love your reviews. Thank you soo much!! And thank you Kale Ironfist for catching those mistakes. I rely mostly on Microsoft word to correct my spelling errors... too bad flees wasn't an error, and I re-read my stories to catch grammatical errors, but I guess I should pay more attention. The past and present thing, sometimes I do it on purpose, just to add thought.

I guess I need to explain some things to get this cleared up…. Sakura develops Inner Sakura, Sasuke can hear very well, Neji obviously can smell, Naruto can read thoughts, and Shikamaru has mind control. Good yes, and the Hyuuga ability, I have no idea what its called in Japanese, In the English translations it's Gentle Fists. They develop that, just like Sasuke developed the sharingan, Naruto and his Kyuubi, and Shikamaru and his shadow imitation. Hope that cleared up any wandering questions.

As you can see… I have quite a large language problem in this fic... should I tone it down a bit? I dunno, I think it makes the scene more violent. I like that in a fight for some reason. I'm one of those people that have a cruel sense of humor. Anyway, I updated this before "Hidden" because the next chapter of that fic hasn't even been writen. I'm enjoying this too much, who knows, maybe I'll upload another chapter of this fic again. That all depends on you guys though...

Thoughts are _'italisized'_ with single quotes, and when words in conversation are italisized, it means emphasis. Just in case anyone gets confused later... lots of mind reading will be going on.

Chapter 7: Single Refuge

"Let go of me!" Shikamaru gave a strangled yell. Ino was having difficulties controlling her temper, and took it out on his poor shirt.

"How dare he, why that little-…" She growled as she wrangled it around.

"INO! Let go of my shirt!" Shikamaru yelled desperately as he tried to get out of her tough grip. She blinked a couple of times before she realized Shikamaru's shirt had about eight different holes in it.

"Oh…" she let out a small nervous laugh. "Gomen, Shikamaru." She let go of it and smoothed it out with her hands. "Don't glare so much, it wasn't all that great anyway." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You'll get over it." She patted his cheek. He sighed.

"I hate you for doing this." He said under his breath.

"Pardon?" He shook his head. Ino laughed elegantly. A sudden chill ran down her spine. _'There it was again…'_ She turned her head toward Sasuke's room, which was right across from Shikamaru's. "Shika… what is Sasuke-kun doing? I haven't seen hide or hair of that guy anywhere, and why is his room always locked up?"

Shikamaru hung his lead low and took a deep breath. "You should know…"

"He's mourning and he needs some comfort?" She took a stab at it.

He shook his head. "That Uchiha has a wife, I thought you knew…" He grinned evilly. "He's probably celebrating…" Something dawned on him, "That means… crap, I'm the closest to him. They better not be loud or-…" Ino grabbed his collar, her eyes burning.

"What the hell do you mean _celebrating_ and since when did she become is wife 'officially?'" Their current conversation was cut off when Sasuke just happened to be walking by, carrying an unconscious Sakura to his room. They both turned their gazes toward him, slowly. Sasuke gave a sharp glare at the two and walked into his own room, ignoring everything they'd said.

Shikamaru sighed. "You… didn't feel it? Not to long ago, Sasuke just made her his 'official bride.'" He placed a hand under his chin. Ino's blue eyes widened. "You barely missed him Ino…" Shikamaru sneered.

"Like that matters." Ino said dully, crossing her arms and sitting down on his bed. She clenched the bed sheets. _'Damn it…'_ She sighed. _'I wonder if Sakura even remembers me…'_

"Still going to go after him, huh?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded with a smile.

Neji ran throughout the entire Hyuuga mansion and still he couldn't find where that girl was located. He let out a frustrated sigh. _'That old man probably lied to save himself…'_ He shook his head. _'No matter, he's dead anyway…'_ He continued to run until he spotted a door with the words… "Hinata" On it. He smacked his forehead. _' You're slipping Neji.'_ His fists clenched and he opened the door, revealing… absolutely nothing. There was a bed in the corner, a desk, a closet, a dresser, everything one would need for a basic bedroom, but there was no one here. He punched a nearby wall. _'You'd think this girl would grow up to be a rich spoiled little brat…'_ He expected dolls, hairpins, kimonos… but nothing of that sort was around.

His blank eyes scanned the room. _'Maybe she heard me and-…no, I would've been stabbed by now.'_ He rolled his eyes. A breeze flew in from an open window. His face lit up. _'So that's where you are…'_ With skills that would make a cat jealous, he climbed out of the window stealthily. Now he had no idea where to go. He looked around, searching for any bed sheets she might've sneaked out with. _'Nothing… so that means…'_ He took a giant leap up onto the roof.

To his pleasure, a small petite form was laying peacefully there. _'A__ rude awakening is in order…' _He approached the girl. _'Dark hair… but what about the eyes…'_ He bent down and decided to slap her awake, but as soon as he pulled a hand out, her own grabbed his. Hinata snapped her eyes open. _'Definitely a Hyuuga…'_ His eye twitched. It looks like… Neji had finally found his victim.

Naruto sighed as he walked into Byakugan village. _'Right… or left…do the Hyuugas have any guards? This is no fun…'_ His eyes scanned the lush area as he walked around the mansion lazily and noticeably. His nose picked up a familiar scent… blood? He ran toward the source, allowing the smell to lead him. "Ah HA!" he rounded the corner and opened a door, revealing two bloody corpses, only piled over the other. Their throats were sliced. He gulped. _'This must've been the baron Neji was so desperate to kill…'_

He approached the two poking the man slightly. _'Well, the bloods still fresh…'_ A wheeze of air came out from the dead woman below him. Naruto cringed. He curtly spun his heel and walked the opposite direction. _'I hate corpses. Strange…'_ He froze dead in his tracks, something was wrong… very wrong. "Neji-…" he cursed and ran top speed to where his comrade was.

Sure enough, there he was, on the roof fighting with that one Hyuuga girl. "Neji! What are you doing?!" Naruto questioned angrily. Neji didn't respond, but Hinata was distracted by his sudden outburst and stopped her attack, which allowed Neji to make a clean punch under her jaw. The girl flew back a few feet and scraped her back on the hard deck of the roof. She let out a small-strangled cry.

Naruto approached them, disbelief in his eyes. "Ne-Neji! You just hit a girl!" The other man shrugged. "That's against the rules you know."

"Stay out of this Naruto." He commanded lowly.

"I can't do that… I-…" Naruto stopped his sentence. What right did he have to stop them? _'Oh yeah…'_ "Look Neji, this is pointless, the baron is dead. Why are you even bothering with this girl?" The other vampire growled. "You can just go home, and I'll-…"

"Why don't _you_ go home and quit interfering?" Neji snapped at him. Naruto kept his mouth shut, but his angry eyes remained on the defiant being in front of him.

Hinata was able to pick herself up in time to launch herself at Neji. She hit him right in the face, however, Neji countered by thrusting his palm into her abdomen and then kicked her chest. Blood spewed from her mouth, as she was thrown back again. _'What was that?'_ She struggled to get back on her feet, but she couldn't. Something was wrong with her body. A sudden churn in her confirmed that. Hinata placed a hand over her heart. She could feel it beating irregularly. Her pearl eyes widened as her body fell forward and more blood fell from her mouth. She began to cough uncontrollably.

"Damn it, what are you doing?! You're going to kill her!" Naruto yelled at him. Neji raised an eyebrow at him. Realization hit the blonde vampire. "Wait, what- no! Neji y-you can't! She never did anything to you!"

"It's because of her and her sad excuse for a family that I became what I am!" He snapped angrily and strode toward Hinata, grabbing her hair. "Do you see?! Do you?! This is what happened to me little girl; this is what I became because of you and your family. I became this inhumane, eternally damned creature who had to live on human blood for a whole century, all because your family couldn't afford to sacrifice a member from the head, I had to become Orochimaru's!" Hinata's eyes remained hard and unmoved.

"That's… not true. It c-can't be." She gasped out. Neji's angry eyes remained on her. Hinata's eyes widened in utter shock and surprise. _'He's telling the truth?!'_

"Do you think I'm lying?" He said through clenched teeth. She looked away. _'So that means… everything I've been told up until now… was a lie?'_ She felt like crying, but she couldn't. Up till now, the entire village had been lying to her about the entire Hyuuga incident, claiming Neji was kidnapped. So… the branch started the fight with the head family because Neji was given away to Orochimaru… _'How could they…? How could they do that?!'_ Disbelief and shock was apparent in her eyes.

Naruto watched painfully from the side. He felt bad, and he couldn't do anything to help her. He could see Neji was desperately trying to control his temper, and became calm again, while Hinata looked as if she were about to cry… His fists clenched. "Stop!" He yelled at the other vampire. "You're going too far-…" Neji's blank gaze snapped toward Naruto. He growled frustratingly. "Neji, it was the head family, but it wasn't completely her fault! She doesn't even know the whole story! You can't hold her accountable for everything that's happened to you!" Neji let go of Hinata and strode over to Naruto. He punched him in the face.

The blonde looked at him in shock. He snarled. "Damn it Neji! Quit being so stubborn." He retaliated. The two began to exchange punches and kicks, until Neji finally knocked Naruto down. He stood over him triumphantly.

"You can't save her you know… Don't try to stop me." He turned his back on Naruto.

"She's mine to kill." The blonde spat. Neji stiffened.

"That's what this is about? You wanted to kill her? You're lying." Naruto thought about it for a while. "You can't kill people Naruto, you hate it, even if you do it all the time to feed. You're weak."

He said it. The two words Naruto absolutely dreaded, and he knew it too. He never admitted openly that he hated killing, but who said he had to like it… right? Being unable to kill… doesn't make you weak does it? His expression darkened.

Hinata continued to try and pick herself up, but was failing miserably. Even though she was struggling, she couldn't help but over hear the two. With the way they were shouting, the whole village was probably awake. That blonde vampire definitely saved her… for the time being anyway. What that Neji guy was saying to him hit a chord in her also. Her father gave up training her long ago, because she was a failure to any of the Hyuuga techniques. She was always put down because she'd hold back from her opponent. She took the liberty upon herself to train, but apparently, that didn't do much for her either. Then again, she didn't expect to fight the Hyuuga prodigy.

That thought irritated her. _'How can he look down on people like that?'_ She closed her eyes. _'So… his name is Naruto.'_ She confirmed. Whatever was happening between the two didn't matter to her. She just wanted to let the Naruto know that he's not weak. That he shouldn't care about what Neji was saying.

But, Naruto had already picked himself up. His fists clenched, and his jaw tightened. "I'm not weak... that reason's not good enough."

"What do you know?!"

"I know-... like it matters! You're the one being weak Neji. Just swallow your pride! Quit blaming other people!" He turned the conversation around.

"Damn you Naruto." Neji snarled. _'He doesn't know what he's talking about.'_ he kept convincing himself.

"Well, see it this way. You blamed the head family for what you became, but it wasn't their fault you're a vampire. Orochimaru did it." Naruto stated. "You still think I don't know what I'm talking about?" His blank eyes widened. "You forget I can read thoughts a lot too… The head family thought you would be able to escape from his clutches; they trusted you. And then there's Tenten…" Neji immediately stiffened up. "You blame her for your rash actions… and now you're blaming me for ruining everything because I'm depriving you of your revenge." Naruto smirked a bit.

Neji looked down at his hands, and clenched his fist tightly. _'I've been blaming others because I couldn't accept what I was… what I became… it was all- Orochimaru…Is he right?'_ A grin spread on Naruto's face. Neji raised his head to meet with Naruto's and gave an unreadable look. The blonde nodded as if he understood Neji's expression. The dark haired vampire growled... "Naruto... you're going to pay dearly for this later.." He ground out through clenched teeth. Neji swiftly turned and walked away....

"Stubborn ass." Naruto muttered when he was gone.

Hinata's cough became louder and even worse. Naruto immediately ran to the girl's side, Neji instantly forgotten. "Hey, hey!" he yelled at her. Her eyes fluttered. She looked up at him as he picked up her head and placed it on the crook of his neck. "You," he stated, "Hinata, am I right?" He grinned his signature fox grin. _'I remembered something!'_ She let out another cough. Naruto panicked, _'Ok if I don't save this girl soon she's going to die. Darn it...' _He snapped his fingers. Hinata let out another cough. "Woah! Ok ok!" He looked around to see if there was anyone that could help them. _'This is bad…'_

Naruto wanted to rip all his hair out. He looked down at her. _'She doesn't deserve to die… she can't die!'_ He was shaking with anxiousness. _'I need to help her…'_ He blinked a couple of times and realized, _'She's bleeding internally…'_ "NOO!!!" He yelled dramatically. She gave him a weird… almost amused look. He looked down at her apologetically. _'There's one way to save her… but is she worth it?'_

As he debated with himself, Hinata felt an overwhelming, sickening feeling in her chest. It hurt… a lot. She clutched it painfully and let out a scream. Naruto snapped out of his reverie and looked down at her. _'Uh oh…Save her Naruto…'_ an inner voice whispered. _'Just leave her…'_ another one said. _'Save her… she doesn't deserve to die. Help her!'_ The other voice countered. _'No! Don't do it Naruto! Don't burden yourself!'_ So it went back and fourth… _'Save her! Hurry!'_ the first one yelled. _'It'll piss Neji off!' _the second one warned. Naruto blinked a couple of times. A slow grin spread on his face. _'**I live to piss Neji off…**'_ It was decided.

"I'm sorry missy…" Naruto looked down at her apologetically, "but this is the only way I can save you. You'll have to come with me after this… You- you just can't die… I-…" he cut himself off. She gave him a questioning look. "After this… you'll be-" he cut himself off again... _'mine'_. "You can leave later if you want but ah jeez, I'm sorry. This might sting a bit!" He said in shakily. He ran a hand through his hair. _'Here goes...'_

Hinata's eyes widened into large pearl orbs. _'Is he going to-…' _Her train of thought was abruptly cut off when Naruto, unsteadily, plunged his fangs into her neck. Well, at least he got his meal…

"Itachi…" Orochimaru addressed the other vampire, who was currently residing in an old abandoned church. His red sharingan eyes snapped open, but he stayed in his place.

"What do you want?" His cool demeanor was making Orochimaru mad. Usually, when another vampire saw him, they'd cower in fear. He hated feeling inferior. Orochimaru opened his mouth to speak but- "If it's about Sasuke and his whore, I could care less."

The kind raised his eyebrow. "I thought you'd be interested in this little piece of information."

"What Sasuke does is none of my concern." He said flatly.

"I thought you wanted him to become stronger-…"

"What does that have to do with anything? Get to the point Orochimaru." Itachi narrowed his eyes at the pail form in front of him. Orochimaru on the other hand, was losing his cool, calm expression. He was never a man to take orders very well. "You want your kin back don't you? How fatherly…" Itachi mocked the other vampire.

Orochimaru growled and launched a punch at Itachi. It made contact with his cheek, but he remained calm and collected. As Orochimaru pulled away, Itachi grabbed his wrist and twisted it. The king let out a strangled yell. Itachi twisted it even more, and heard a satisfying snap. He let go.

Orochimaru took a few steps back, holding his limp wrist. He snapped it back in place, growling. _'Damn you Itachi...'_ "You're becoming rash, _my king._" Itachi scorned. His eyes remained on the other being. "You want me to go do your dirty work right? Defeat those four traitors and bring them back to you… Use Sasuke's whore to lure him… is that right?" he questioned knowledgeably. Orochimaru nodded with a scowl on his face. "I have one request."

Orochimaru's head snapped up. "No." he stated simply.

"Selfish as always, but if you don't agree I just won't do it…"

"Threats will get you no where, Itachi. You work for me!"

"And I see no pay in it!" Itachi retorted. "I do your dirty work, but I see no reward in it anywhere. I do it for thrill, and not for you. I _will_ get my demands." The king swallowed.

"So be it..." He snarled, "What do you want?"

"Naruto and Sasuke's whore." Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"The girl you can have but no, you can't have Naruto. He has the-…"

"That is precisely why I want him in my clutches. Besides, he'd be better suited in mine that yours. You already said-…"

"Fine! Anything else?!" Orochimaru questioned sharply.

"Kakashi." He stated simply. The king blinked a couple of times. "He's still alive. You didn't kill him."

"Even if that's so, that is definitely a demand I can't give."

"You locked him away in a dungeon for almost a century, what use is he to you? Some toy?"

"Are you implying something?!" Orochimaru fumed. "You think like a pervert."

"I wasn't thinking anything, you're the one who said it… or perhaps I am implying something…" Itachi placed a hand under his chin. "So, I want Naruto and Kakashi and the bitch, if you don't give, you won't receive."

"So you're Santa now?" A low growl sounded from Itachi. "Fine." His sharingan eyes glinted in the moonlight. "But you remember, Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru return to me." He nodded and waved his hand dismissingly. Orochimaru scowled. _'One day, Itachi…'_ his fists clenched. _'You'll get what's coming to you…You best be watching your back.'_

"I don't think so, Orochimaru... You're the one who should watch your back... someone might stick something through it." Itachi sneered at him. The king stiffened.

TBC…

AN: Hoorah, I give myself a pat on the back, this chapter was soo long but it had a twist. I'm sorry for the lack of coupling and stuff in this chapter, it's mostly because Neji's revenge is the longest part, and I couldn't just cut it off, or else it would've ruined the suspense. Thank you for reading!! Oh and yes, Itachi can read minds.


	9. Chapter 8: Aftermath

AN: **Bloody crap.** Thank you so much Wolf of Darkstar for catching that. Like I said at the beginning this fic was inspired by Van Helsing and I guess the implications from that movie distorted the image a bit in my mind. I just kind of applied it to the slaughtering of vampires. You're right. **Thank you so much**! But, it's still not too late to fix it. As you all read, none of the vampire characters died from any stabbing, now did they? ::idea sprouts:: So, while I go back to my vampire references, you all go on and enjoy this chapter. It's all couples… **The silver problem will be fixed, not in this chapter… the next one. I already have it planned out.**

Some of you might say Sasuke is a little OOC… Well, he is, but not completely. He's twenty-one, so he should be a little more mature and open with his feelings. Ok, that and his wife has been gone for quite a long time, he misses her alright? Yes, you can go "awww…" now.

Ahh, the line in chapter 4: When Sasuke wakes up after passing out from Orochimaru's curse, he finds Sakura all beaten up and he gets mad. and he asks "Sakura, who the hell did that to you?" Yes, I like my Naruto stories to apply to something within the series. Like... the vampires knowing a sun jutsu... It just keeps as a small reminder.

Warning: Slight sasusaku sexual innuendo. You won't see it right away, it's coming. Well, who am I to judge, it is what you think it is.

Chapter 8: Aftermath

"Sakura…" She blinked a couple of times and opened her eyes. _'What… happened?'_ She looked down at her hands. _'Nothing out of the ordinary…so why do I feel so…'_ She ran her hands through her hair, down her sides, and patted her rump a few times. "Sakura." Sasuke stated fondly as she explored herself. She was just too darn amusing sometimes. Her head snapped up as she looked at him strangely. She gave a warm smile.

"Who are you?" Sasuke almost fell over. _'No…she should've gotten her memory back by now…'_ He gulped, fearing the worst. "Is something wrong?" She asked curiously. He looked away uncomfortably. His anger was setting in. She giggled. "Don't look so mortified, Sasuke-kun…" He stiffened, but immediately relaxed. "You know I could never forget…"

He growled. "Don't do that Sakura." She let out a laugh.

"You could never take a joke."

"It wasn't all that funny." He muttered and walked toward her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I missed you, my love." She whispered into his hair. He let out what seemed like a strangled cough. She took his head and raised it so that she could see straight into his eyes. She gasped. "Sasuke-kun… you look so different." He gave her a questioning look. "You're more pail than usual… what's wrong? Have you been eating right?" She cupped his face into her hands. "You're so cold." He took her hand.

"You're my wife, not my mother. Do you remember everything?" he changed the subject. _'It looks like… she doesn't even know she's a vampire.'_ He sighed.

Her brows crinkled in frustration. "Everything's blurred. I really don't know. How did I get here?" Images from her past flashed before her eyes. She clutched her head.

_'A shadowed figure appeared. He grabbed her by the hair. Everything was so fast. He was beating her to the ground, then took a knife and sliced her. She could barely feel anything accept for the long lazy streams of blood flow. He growled when she wouldn't make a peep and slammed her against the wall…an evil smile graced his features as he- He raped her. That's when she screamed. He dropped her onto the floor. She looked psychotic clutching the remains of her clothing to her naked body, gasping desperately for air. He laughed… loudly, triumphantly, and tauntingly. "You will die tonight." He murmured into her ear seductively. She almost gagged. There was nothing seductive about that statement._

_She clutched her abdomen lovingly and wept. One of stranger's hands stroked her cheek, while the other continued to explore her body. She flinched and growled frustratingly. As his hand traced over her lips, she bit him. He grabbed her by her hair and pinned her against the wall. She fought against him but it was of no use._

_"You stupid bitch! You'll regret that." His fangs plunged into her neck. She refused to scream. He bit harder. She squirmed._

_"Sasuke-kun." She shut her eyes tightly. Tears fell from her eyes as this monster drained the life out of her body…His torn image appeared before her… "Sakura…" He whispered. She eventually succumbed to the darkness and allowed death to take her.'_

Her green eyes snapped open. "It was him… he-…" She choked, but found she couldn't cry. Disbelievingly, she placed a hand on her cheek to see… no moisture. Sasuke gave her a perplexed look. _'Who's this man she's talking about?'_

"Sakura…"

"I remembered… this isn't right." She looked at him. "This isn't right! I'm supposed to be dead-…"

"You are." He confirmed simply. She gazed at him curiously.

"How is that possible…? I can't be-… can I?" She looked frightened. "Sasuke-kun! I can't… it's…" She began to shake. Her hands grasped the bed sheets. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her.

"It's true. Stop convincing yourself, Sakura, just accept it. You're a vampire now." He stated bluntly.

"But-… that just- Is this where you've been all along?" She pulled away from him. "That night-…" He nodded and cupped her cheeks with his hands. She looked away. "I became what killed me, and what took you!" She shook her head. "I don't want that Sasuke-kun! It's not supposed to turn out this way…" She closed her eyes. "I don't- I don't want that! This is a mistake…"

Sasuke snarled. Did she want to be with him or not? "You would've been gone forever… Sakura, are you saying this was a mistake?! I made you my bride again!" Her head snapped up. She looked at him surprisingly. "Are you saying it was a mistake to find you?! That it was wrong to take you away from the hell you were reborn into?! Are you saying being reborn for _me_ was a fault?! Are you?!" He was having difficulty controlling his temper.

"N-no Sasuke-kun, I just-…"

"Then don't say anything. Fate took you away from me and it's not going to again. I made you a part of me Sakura… accept it. You're a vampire." His calm returned. She gave a small, uncomfortable nod.

"It'll take time… but I guess you're right. I- I have to accept it." She shook her head, "No Sasuke-kun… it wasn't a mistake. I didn't mean to-…" She swallowed and placed a hand where he bit her. There were faint marks, but nothing too bad. "It's real then? We're… together again. I should be grateful." Yet she still had her doubts. She placed her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. _'It feels wrong, and yet… so right. Why did things have to turn out this way?' _She thought painfully. He responded and wrapped his arms around her petite form. "Love, you do seem a bit more ill than usual…" she changed the subject.

Sasuke cut her off. "It's nothing. Don't concern yourself with it." He commanded. Sakura knew him the best. She always knew when there was something wrong with him, just like he did her. She decided to keep her mouth shut, but gave nod in understanding. He grasped her hand and planted a kiss on her palm. He did miss her a lot more than he thought, though, he'd never admit it out loud.

This brought back memories for Sakura. She found herself entranced by this new, more mysterious version of Sasuke, but she was still pained over the fact that this is how he'd been living for the past years, just waiting for her. Perhaps, their current state was better, maybe it was for the best. At lease now, they had an eternity. Realization hit her as a smile graced her features. "I really did miss you… I'm glad you brought me back." She pressed herself closer to him, into his neck, inhaling his unique scent. Inwardly she still doubted herself, and her situation. He had to smile, or half smile. He tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear, and placed his hand under her chin.

Her green eyes were the same. Her attitude was the same. Her memories were back… An odd feeling developed inside him. _'Happiness?'_ But he saw something else in her eyes, _'Fear…?_' Whatever it was… something was wrong with her. "Beloved…" he whispered. Her eyes widened. Sasuke never said things like that, ever. Well, he did once, and that was when her best friend died and he tried to comfort her. She felt like crying in happiness, though her body wouldn't allow her to do so. A slight smirk graced his features as he leaned down and captured her lips with his. _'The things I do for her…'_

"Where have you been?" Tenten asked curiously as Neji walked in. He punched the wall nearest to him and growled frustratingly. "Well, there's blood all over you, I'm assuming you got your target, but judging from your current mood, I'd say you weren't satisfied, or something went wrong." _'How does she do that?!'_ Neji though furiously

"You're not helping at all." He stated.

"I know. I try my best." She beamed happily. Though she was still tied up, her cheerful mood was never broken. It was a mystery even to Neji. He rolled his eyes.

"You're not tired yet?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Tired of what?" she chirped.

"Being tied up." Her face darkened.

"Of course I'm tired. You just haven't untied me, and I guess you're treating me alright, I'm not one to complain about it." She shrugged. He walked to her side and loosened her bonds. "Aww, Thank you so much. Why don't you just untie me?" she asked sweetly. Inwardly, she wanted to stab him multiple times.

"Because secretly you want to kill me." She blinked. _'How'd he know?'_ "I can't have that now can I?" _'She's a fiery one.'_ He kept his cool.

"Not like I can anyway…" she shot back. He raised an eyebrow. "Can I make a deal or something? You have no reason to keep me here and-… oh come on, would ya please untie me?" He sighed.

"Fine, but it you try anything funny-…" He warned.

"I know, I know, I've been on the receiving end of this threat multiple times." She grinned mischievously. He untied her. "Ah, Thank you so much." She rubbed her bleeding wrists. He gave her an almost concerned look. _'Guess I went a little too far…'_ "Ow." She hissed. Blood dripped down her fingers as she held one oh her wrists painfully. He found himself entranced by the site. "Do you have a bandage or something?" He shook his head slowly. His eyes were still on her blood. She lifted her hand to her lips and licked the red substance away. The room was suddenly feeling hot. He found himself moving closer to her.

Tenten winced. Neji grabbed her wrist, eyeing it hungrily. She let out a startled yelp as he bent down and licked it. She began to pull away, but his grip was firm. "Ow." She said to distract him. He was still at it. "Ow…" she emphasized. "_Ow._" He stopped licking, but his lips remained on her wrist. "You haven't fed for quite a few days, have you?" She asked amusingly.

"Shut up." He growled, and licked again as more blood seeped through.

"It feels like a dog." He blinked. "It tickles too." He pulled away. "Finally, I thought you'd never-…" Her wrist remained in his hand. He picked it up and bit down on it slightly, drawing a little bit more blood. "**_Ow._** That hurts you know."

"Punishment." He stated simply.

Her eye twitched. "You keep me here, you tie me up, you take my target, you sniff me! And now, you're biting me… buddy, I think you're taking it a little far." Neji had to smirk. "So why do you? Why do you keep me here?"

_'Should I tell her the truth…?'_ He leaned down until he was almost nose-to-nose with her. "You really want to know?" She nodded nervously and gulped. "You…" He moved closer until his lips were barely pressed against her. Tenten's eyes widened. _'He's… he's seducing me again…'_ She had that familiar overwhelming desire build up within her. She couldn't help it. Her eyes landed on his lips, which were a mere millimeter away. _'A little closer…'_ She felt her body move on it's own accord and lean in toward them. Unfortunately, as soon as she made little contact he pulled away. She let out a small whimper, and a growl in frustration.

Something occurred to her. She blinked a couple of times. "Hold it. W-wait, wait… d-d-did you j-just… _sniff_ me?!" she stuttered. "Gah!" She had an absolutely horrified look on her face.

"Relax, I didn't sniff you." He said with a hint of enjoyment in his voice. Her expression got calm again.

"So… then, why do you keep me here?"

"You intrigue me… and you're amusing." He started toward the door. She smacked her forehead.

"That's the best excuse you can come up with?!" He heard her scream angrily as he shut the door. He had a genuine smile on his face. It was the first time he really smiled in years…

Hinata awoke with a start. She ran a hand through her hair as she realized what happened. He was right next to her, his warm breath on her hand. He was asleep. She turned her head toward the blonde sleeping on her bedside. She wanted to cry. She became something she absolutely dreaded, and it was his entire fault. Everything was his fault. She pulled her hand out from under him, which caused him to wake.

Naruto blinked a couple of times and looked up, only to find his eyes meeting with a pair of angry pearl eyes. _'Uh oh, she looks pissed.'_ "Hey…" He laughed nervously and waved. Her glare intensified.

"I'd rather die, than become what you just made me!" She yelled angrily and smacked him over the head.

"Ow, I thought you were supposed to be shy."

"I'm not shy when I'm angry-…" She gave him a quizzical look. "How'd you come to that conclusion?" He shrugged and smiled cheekily. She growled. "It's all your fault! Now, I have to drink blood and- and-…" she couldn't go on. Her voice got caught.

"Well, it's not bad once you're used to it I promise!" He reasoned with her.

"I thought you hated killing!" she snapped.

"Well, I do… how'd you come to that conclusion-…" She looked away. He blinked. "Oh yeah! Never mind." He grumbled. "So how are you feeling-…"

Hinata's eyes traveled all over the room. A glint of something silver caught her attention. She turned to the bedside and found a small knife in plain sight. _'I hate what I am… and I hate what I've become…I can-…'_ "Hey!" Naruto's voice snapped her out of it. "You aren't going to-… Don't do anything crazy now! I wasted blood for you!" He warned. She glared at him and grabbed the knife. He grabbed it too. They began to pull and tug back and fourth. Hinata got frustrated and bit his hand. Naruto let out a surprised yelp and pulled away. A small smile graced her features.

"This ends, here and now. Thank you for saving my life, but it was hardly worth it." A pained look crossed her features. "I'd rather not live like this..." She raised the knife to her chest.

"Hey! Don't!" Naruto yelled and reached for her, but it was too late. She stabbed herself through the chest. He smacked his forehead. _'Shit.'_

"I can't see anything!" Ino hissed as she looked through the keyhole. "Oh! He's-…" she gasped. "He kissed her!"

"Get away from the door, Ino." Shikamaru grumbled from his room. He was lying lazily on the bed.

"Oh my god, she's- she did she just touch him where I thought she touched him... no, but she's touching something! This is so unfair!" She snarled.

"Of course it's fair, they're married, and doing something married couples do, get away from the damn door before I drag you away." Ino turned around and glared at him.

"Oh shut up, Shikamaru." She resumed her peeking. "I swear his hands were…" She froze. For a moment, she thought Sasuke's eye met with hers. He was glaring at her. She shook her head. _'He's too distracted.'_ She heard Sakura whisper something in his ear, which caused him to turn his attention toward her again. Ino got away from the door and went back to Shikamaru's room. _'I'm being paranoid.'_ A scream came from Sasuke's room, followed by a loud bang and an angry shriek from Sakura.

Shikamaru winced. _'He forgot she was a virgin… didn't he?'_ He sighed. "What the hell was that?!" Ino fumed angrily and looked through the keyhole again. Her eye twitched. "I can't believe-oh she's- I mean they- Oh my god!" _'Lucky little-...'_ Shikamaru was suddenly behind her. He grasped her hand and dragged her back into his room, locking the door behind them.

"Damn it, Ino I said get away from the door! Sasuke can hear almost anything that's within a six-mile radius. He could hear the both of us right now if he wanted, but he could certainly hear you!" Ino blinked.

"Well then, his ears must be broken from that scream Sakura just made. I can't believe her…" She glared at the door. "Just one more-…" Before Shikamaru could stop her, she opened his door and ran to look through the keyhole again this time-"Gah! They- They're kissing rather sloppily." Shikamaru gave her a blank stare. "Oh dear… I've never seen Sakura like that before. He just bit her! Well, that's going to leave a mark in the morning." She cringed. "He just grabbed her-…"

Shikamaru sighed. "I really don't want to know the details, Ino." As much as he hated what Ino was doing, he knew he couldn't stop her. His eyes were glued to something completely different, and it made him feel like a pervert. She had a nice backside. _'That's one advantage… on the other hand; Sasuke is going to slaughter me and feed me to dogs later for letting Ino stay here. What was I thinking?'_ He banged his head against the wall.

"Oh… wow. Sasuke's talented." Ino licked her lips. Shikamaru's eye twitched. Gasps followed from Ino as she observed the occupants in the other room, he began to feel extremely uneasy.

"Ino, Give them some privacy. They deserve it you know." She turned and gave him a sharp glare. "It's not right. Just get away from the door." Her glare remained but she did so and propped herself onto his bed with a 'Hmph.'

"You're being ridiculous." He sat in front of her. She turned her head another direction and stuck her nose up in the air. "Stop. You're acting like a two year old." Her nose wrinkled but she did nothing else.

"You deprived me, Shikamaru. He has a _very_ nice body." She licked her lips.

"Your lust is sickening." She stuck her nose up again. "And here's the two year old act…" Another 'hmph' sounded. "Déjà vu…"

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to watch your love 'do something' with someone else." She stated matter-of-factly.

"You're a pervert." Shikamaru stated simply. She gaped at him. An angry look crossed her features. She grabbed an antique sword hanging on his wall. He looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait. I didn't mean it Ino, but you have to understand… I mean, hey-…" She drove the sword through him and kicked him to the ground. Her eyes twinkled.

"Don't you call me a pervert. I wasn't the one checking out my friend's backside."

He got up and glared at her, with the sword still hanging out of his chest. "I'm not the one watching my friend do _things_ with his _wife_. There's a difference. You're just stubborn that's all, and I was not checking out your backside!" She kicked him again. "Stubborn... bloody women…" He fumed angrily from the ground.

He jumped from roof to roof. His eyes scanned the wide area. _'No one.'_ Itachi grumbled. He'd been searching for the location of the mansion Kakashi was living at, unfortunately, he couldn't get very far without the silver haired vampire. He ran a hand through his hair. As talented as he was, Itachi couldn't find the hideout right away. _'At this rate it might take months… hell even years. If I don't find a trace of them anywhere…'_ He jumped to another rooftop. _'This is a pain in the ass…'_

TBC…

AN: Ok, Yes, I did cut Itachi short because the rest was far too long… but that's the update on the couples. Hope you liked the chapter, not all that satisfactory, but it'll do! No I do not have a thing against women! I am a female. Just thought you'd like to know, however I do know females who 'peep' a lot... I think it's perverted and the same way both genders, even though none of them admit it.

So yeah... I'm sorry for the wait, after recieveing so many threats... apologies. But really ::twitch:: To quote Orochimaru: "Threats will get you nowhere!" I'm just kidding. They help a lot for some reason.


	10. Chapter 9: Rapid Moderation

AN: **The rating has been changed to R.** Because I read that notice posted on ff.net that said something about the ratings being wrong and they'll do something… ok that and, It was rated pg-13 for language, but as I re-read a lot of the scenes particularly with Neji and Sasuke beating on people… it's pretty violent. The sexual relations between Sasuke and Sakura are more graphic now I guess…

Honestly, I'm not a big lemon person. I mean I've read plenty of them, and I was going to write one for this fic, however, it just felt a little awkward. I guess, for those who are disappointed by the scene, I'll make up for it in this chapter. It'll strictly be **lime**. Ok! I admit! I wanted Ino to be a pervert! Just kidding… I needed her to pry… for certain reasons.

You all must be annoyed with the "…" I keep doing between sentences, especially in this fic. It honestly can't be helped. When I freeze up on a sentence or want to add dramatic pause without over using a comma, I place that in. You'll just have to roam over it I guess, but whatever… if it doesn't bother you, just ignore this. It's also a habit.

Yes, this is posted on blissful ignorance, with a few things, or fewer things in it. I took the chance to edit the fic when I posted it there, but I like things here better. I was glad BI finally had a Naruto forum though; I read gundam wing fics there all the time.

::sigh:: The last chapter ruined the adrenaline that ran throughout the fic, for that I apologize. I write this fic when I'm mad… and when you're mad you just want to scream and rush through everything… well, I kind of sit there and curse… so why not write what I feel on paper, and well, you got the adrenaline and my anger all in one, and then I'm satisfied. Things will pick up again… watch.

Thoughts are _'Italicized'_ with a single quote, while italicized words in conversation means emphasis. Inner Sakura will be put into brackets like so: [].

Chapter 9: Rapid Moderation

Naruto smacked his forehead. _'Shit.'_ Hinata fell back onto the bed with her eyes closed. He waited patiently a few moments and drummed his fingers onto the bed, then glanced around the room. He began to hum a tune. He glanced at his nonexistent watch. Naruto let out a low growl. "You can stop pretending now." He poked her on the cheek.

Hinata still did not stir. The blonde scratched the back of his head. _'The one time I need to be really annoying, I can't!'_ He placed a hand under his chin and narrowed his eyes. He turned and found that the knife was still embedded inside her. He cautiously bent over, grasped the handle and pulled it out, sighing in relief when he found no blood. "Well, this is no fun." He twitched. A smile spread across his features.

An idea popped into his head. _'Missy, if you're not going to wake up I'll-…'_ He got up until his face was pressed almost directly over hers and made sure his nose and mouth were a mere millimeter away and then… he waited and waited. Unconsciously, his eye twitched. He poked her again and almost burst out laughing when she squirmed. It was kind of cute; he shrugged and was about to poke her again-.

Her pearl eyes snapped open. She gaped at the blonde vampire in front of her, or erm… rather, on top of her. She sprung up and collided with Naruto's head, almost pressing her own lips against his; she turned her face so that they wouldn't. She gasped and whacked the blonde over the head. "You pervert!" She yelled, breathing heavily.

"I didn't do anything!" Naruto retorted.

"You were certainly doing something, why were you over me?" her glare intensified.

"What? How else would I be extremely irritating? It works on Sakura-chan all the time when she doesn't want to wake up." He gave her his signature fox grin. "Well, Sasuke does it, maybe not the poking, but it did make her squirm a lot. Honestly, I don't know what he did, but I saw it, and it was-…"

"Oh, you be quiet!" She hit him again. Hinata was confused because she had no idea who he was talking about and because she didn't know why she was still alive. _'Didn't it work?'_ "Give me that!" She was referring to the silver knife he pulled out of her.

"Ah, heck no!" He stepped back. "Look missy, I don't know how or why you began to get so suicidal, but look, being a vampire isn't all that bad. You live a long time-…"

"Would you really want to live if you had to do things you absolutely dreaded, or became something you hate?! Would you want to live if you found out your entire life was a lie?!" She questioned angrily. He stared at her. "You couldn't possibly understand. You don't have a heart… You're dead."

At first, Naruto felt offended, but now, "Well you're dead too." He replied dryly. "And you're going to be dead for a long time." He waved the knife in front of her face. "Death doesn't kill death. And you know… silver doesn't kill vampires. It's no use." She glared at him. "Would you quit that? I know you're angry, but sooner or later you're going to have to accept it." He threw the knife down onto the mattress. She began to reach for it. "It's not going to work!" He snapped.

Hinata flinched. "What do you mean? I thought-…"

"Silver doesn't kill us, it was a lie. It was a simple lie made by us to lead you 'humans' the wrong direction. An actual wooden stake could kill us, but not this." She gazed at him curiously. "Oh and you can't forget the sun… that kills too." Her face brightened. "Don't get any ideas." She scowled. "Oh just give it a try, I promise blood doesn't taste that bad. So make yourself at home, stay out of the sun, and maybe later you can meet the others around this joint, just not Neji… yet." He smiled at her. Awkwardly, it made her feel warm inside.

Hinata admired his kindness and sincerity, but she still hated what he made her. Despite her best efforts, she gave a small nod in understanding. Perhaps sticking around wouldn't be too bad… Naruto grinned and poked her again. She glared at him. _'You can never be serious for more than two seconds with this guy around...'_

"Sasuke-kun…" She muttered dreamily as she lay next to him. Their bodies were entangled with one another and both were still trying to cope with the sudden rush of events. She brushed his bangs out of his face. He blinked a couple of times but kept his eyes on her. "This is awkward." He gave her a look as if saying, 'what's the problem now?' "Can we really do this? I-I won't get pregnant or anything right?" He groaned.

"I have no idea." He really didn't care either. She had a slightly hurt look on her face. He thought quickly. "You're dead, can a dead corpse get pregnant?" She shook her head. "Well then…" _'I suddenly feel like a necrophilia…'_ She shrugged and sighed. [Inner Sakura: ::sigh::] A saddened look crossed her features, but it disappeared right after.

"Sasuk-…" He stopped her from whatever she was saying by kissing her. _'If I don't shut her up now, she'll never drop the subject…'_ He changed their position and placed himself on top of her, never breaking the kiss. She looked at him dazedly when he broke away. He was looking at the door again. "Something wrong?" He shook his head. _'Damn it, Ino…pervert.'_ [Inner Sakura: No! Do it again!(waving two fans)] Sakura's face contorted. _'What was that just now?' _She shrugged.

Sakura cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips urgently against his. [Inner Sakura: That's the way…] She shrugged that off too.

Ino was instantly forgotten as Sasuke returned the kiss with equal fury. He ran a hand through her silky pink strands, while the other began to pull the bed sheet away from her bare corpse. His tongue traced her lips and he moved away down toward her jaw line, nipping and sucking lightly. She let out a whimper. _'This is all too familiar...'_ He moved to her neck, kissing the spot where he'd bit her. She could feel his fangs grazing upon her skin as he continued his actions. He pulled away again, and the sheet along with him, revealing her pale form completely. Sasuke's eyes scanned her from top to bottom. He could feel the lust in him begin to boil.

Sakura looked up at him, all in his naked form kneeling in front of her, gazing at her with hungry eyes. He licked his lips, revealing one of his fangs slightly. She didn't know whether to gulp or gape, but didn't have time to do either. Sasuke crushed his lips against hers again in a bruising manner. Taken by surprise, Sakura's lips were slightly parted. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in with hers, while his hands explored and caressed her very familiar body. She ran both her hands through his hair, grasping tightly.

She let out a small moan as his hands roamed over her sensitive areas. He broke the kiss and moved down to her neck, repeating the same actions as before. She could barely breathe. He was driving her mad, he wouldn't move lower, but continued to touch her. "Sasuke-kun…" She half growled, and half moaned. He had to smirk and succumed to her will, sort of. He grasped her bare breast in his hand, while his mouth settled on the other one. She let out a gasp as he continued what he was doing. [Inner Sakura: (fanning herself) Woo, it's getting hot]

Sakura blinked. _'Now I'm sure I heard something…'_ Sasuke moved lower. [Inner Sakura: Hell YEAH!] "Ahh!" Sakura screeched and clutched her head tightly. Sasuke looked up at her with surprise. His instantly gaze turned to worry. "Wh-what is that?" she asked mostly to herself. He raised an eyebrow. _'She interrupted me for this?'_ He punched the mattress.

"What is it?" He leaned in close to her. Her eyes were closed. "Sakura?" He grasped one of her hands.

"I keep hearing things!" Sakura gazed up at him with fearful eyes. _'Maybe she has the same thing I do…'_ Sasuke thought. _'Damn it… why did this have to come up now?!'_ He wanted to push this little problem away and get back to what they were doing before.

"Did you develop better hearing?" He asked. She gave him a blank stare. "I mean, can you hear the two people outside of our door making all that racket?"

"What two people?! Was that what you kept looking at?" She massaged her temples. He shrugged. "Never mind… no, it's probably something else." [Inner Sakura: Get back to it! It was just getting good.] Sakura glanced around the room. "There it was again."

Sasuke felt the urge to take her temperature. "I didn't hear anything."

"But it was _loud._" Her brows crinkled in frustration.

"Sakura, I can hear a pin drop from a mile away. Whatever you're hearing, I can't… that's rather impossible isn't it? Unless…" He stopped himself. She panicked. "I don't know. You probably developed something a little weirder than all of us. Naruto can read minds, why not ask him what it is?" She was still searching for the cause of that noise. "Sakura, really, _not now._" He groaned and leaned into her neck. She shivered.

"Sasuke, something's wrong." He kissed her. She looked at him with wide eyes. "It's creepy." He kissed her again. "S-stop. I think-…" He growled. Sakura felt her forehead. "Something's talking."

"No one is talking. You're hallucinating." He was getting impatient. He licked the side of his lips hungrily. She felt her forehead. "Stop it." He pulled her hand away and kissed it. "Sakura, you're being foolish." [Inner Sakura: What?!]

"Tell me you heard that!" He groaned. _'Does she know what she's depriving me of?'_

"Sakura, I didn't hear anything." He said dully. [Inner Sakura: This is stupid]

She closed her eyes. "I'm going crazy." Sasuke nodded, agreeing with her. She gaped. "Hey! That's-…" [Inner Sakura: (flames blazing in her eyes)]

He sighed and placed his head on the crook of her neck. "Sakura…" _'No choice.'_ He looked her straight in the eyes. She gave him a weird glance and suddenly began to feel herself burn up. Her breathing became shallow. She gasped as Sasuke ran his hands through her hair and kissed her temple. _'I need this…**now.**'_ "You'll stop this." He placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. He laid her back down onto the bed in her slightly dazed state, between her legs.

"You-…" she whispered, but he silenced her by forcing his mouth onto hers.

"I seduced you…" Sasuke smirked, but continued what he was doing. Sakura's thoughts halted abruptly. She moaned and gave into what Sasuke was doing to her. [Inner Sakura: Phew, finally. (sigh)]

"Orochimaru." Itachi growled as he approached the king, who was sitting daintily on his 'throne.'

"What the hell do you want?" He snarled. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Ohh… was the very talented Uchiha Itachi unable to find their location?" Orochimaru asked slyly. "Whatever it is, make it quick." He waved his hand. The other vampire's jaw tightened, but not much else.

"Orochimaru, I don't have to do this, might I remind you-."

"I am well aware." Orochimaru swallowed. "What?" He demanded.

"I need Kakashi to reveal the location of his mansion." Itachi stated simply.

"What makes you think he'll do that? Kakashi would die before he endangered the life of those little bastards…" Orochimaru's fist clenched. Itachi smirked. "Besides, you still haven't delivered the other-."

"I know that, but in order to deliver the 'other ones' I need to know where to start now don't I?" He asked dully.

"Still-…" Orochimaru began, but Itachi cut him off.

"Kakashi won't reveal that information."

"So we're stuck-…" Itachi cut him off again.

"We have one connection. Yamanaka Ino."

"So? She's still no reason… I won't hand over Kakashi until you find a solid-…"

"She has a connection with Nara Shikamaru…" Itachi inquired. Orochimaru growled.

"Itachi if you cut me off one more time-…" he warned.

"You have nothing decent to say, and whatever it is I already know-…" he said dryly.

"Damn you to hell."

"I've been there for a long time." Itachi spat.

"So what about Shikamaru?" Orochimaru questioned.

"Did you forget Shikamaru could control minds?"

"No, but even he is loyal to Kakashi." Orochimaru pointed out.

"But he has a soft spot for Ino, doesn't he?" Itachi rolled his eyes. The king's gaze remained on him, expectantly. "So, send some henchmen, call Ino back, get Shikamaru, hand over Kakashi to me…it's all down hill from there. Then we both get the first piece of what we need, now don't we?"

"You make everything sound like it's so simp-…" Orochimaru glared at Itachi.

"That's because everything is simple, you just have to make it complicated. I hate people like you… So, will that work for you _sire_?" Itachi asked. Orochimaru scowled and nodded. With that, Itachi spun his heel and left satisfied.

Orochimaru could feel a burn in himself that hadn't been awoken for a long time. His anger was flaring; he let himself go. _'After this is all done… Uchiha Itachi, you will die!'_ A loud frustrated scream pierced the air, unheard by Itachi, who was walking outside of the king's lair with a smirk on his face. Unknowingly, he was thinking the same thing.

His blank eyes snapped open. _'Something's going on. What?'_ Tenten kept an eye on her silent companion. After he untied her, she was able to go about the mansion, but for some reason, liked the atmosphere of his room better. Perhaps it was because she was tied there half the time or... it was some other reason...

"Something bugging you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head and shrugged. She sighed. "You're so boring sometimes." He turned to look at her.

"Am I supposed to be amusing to you some how?" Neji questioned. She shook her head.

"You've been quiet the entire time, and you seem to keep everything in, why not let it out for a change? It'll help." His gaze remained on her. "If you need to talk, I'll listen." she said happily.

If Neji could be touched, he would've been by that statement, however, "I have nothing to say that you'd be interested in." He looked away.

"Oh yeah? Try me." She chirped and gave an encouraging smile.

"I said it was nothing. Why don't you go find something to do?" he offered, changing the subject.

"I've been around the mansion six times already, there's nothing interesting."

"And my room is?" He sighed.

_'Not the room, the occupant. Idiot.'_ Tenten growled. During the short time she stayed at the mansion, she began to feel for the silent, cold vampire. Although she teased him, she found it amusing, and somewhat attracteve how he retaliated. He was attractive either way, but watching him squirm was too great to pass up. Everytime he neared her, she felt herself burn up and tremble. Why couldn't he see through her? She didn't want to open up to the guy, but knowing the Hyuuga ability, she figured he'd know everything.

Neji eyed her warily. Something was brewing, and he had a feeling it wasn't good. He knew what she was doing; he knew why she was so curious about him. He just didn't want to say it, but love between a vampire and a human wasn't possible. He wasn't capable of loving, just lusting, which is why he often surrendered to his 'feelings' whenever he was around her. That, and she was too easy to seduce and succum to his will. He liked that. His eyes scanned her. A sudden jolt flickered in his body. _'Love doesn't exist... only lust.'_ Neji kept convincing himself. He gulped, knowing exactly what was happening.

She was looking up at him with large brown eyes, studying him carefully. His eyes met hers and in an instant, _'I want her to be mine...'_

"So you finally got away from the door?" Ino walked back into Shikamaru's room, slumping.

"I hate this. It's painful to watch!" She sighed dramatically and fell onto his bed.

"Your own fault." He pointed out with a sigh. Her fists clenched.

"I-I need some fresh air." She abruptly got off the bed, when she heard another interesting noise come from Sasuke's room. Shikamaru's eyes followed her.

"H-hey wait. I'll go with you. I'm pretty hungry anyway-…" She raised an eyebrow. In truth, he was just watching out for her, should she run into anything...

"You sure you don't have some other reason?" she winked.

Shikamaru gaped. "Like you care," he said lowly, avoiding eye contact. "Let's just go. If I hear one more scream come from that room I'll-…"

"Yeah, same here." She said quickly and pushed him out. They both left the mansion and walked toward some private gardens in the back silently. "It's peaceful tonight." She said breaking it. Shikamaru nodded. Ino smiled and latched onto his arm as they went. "This is nice… we should do it more often." He nodded. It was his turn to smile. "You know, you're one of my best _friends?_" The word stung, but he kept it to himself.

Ino felt Shikamaru stiffen next to her. _'Did I do something wrong?'_ She shook her head. _'It's probably nothing…'_ They kept walking. Shikamaru's smile was no longer apparent. _'Why do I care anyway?'_ he asked himself. _'Why should I care…?'_

TBC…

AN: Alright, if you weren't satisfied with the Sasusaku groping I apologize. This is only my second fic… It's uncomfortable you know? I rushed through. So please be patient with me… As for now, I hope this did good enough, as you can see, the pace is starting to pick up again. Everything in this fic is supposed to have a purpose, and the purpose for that scene was to introduce Inner Sakura, and I really wanted to have Sasuke and Sakura together. There's a void in my brain and utter longing for those two to have physical relationship. (I wouldn't write a full fledged lemon, though I really am tempted to, I know there are a lot of people under fourteen that watch Naruto and take an interest in the series and also read fanfiction. It's inappropriate ::sigh:: that's that)

I feel bad for Shikamaru though. What to do? ::sigh:: You can probably guess what's going to happen to Tenten now, eh?

Feel free to correct me if you see anything wrong, I'm not sure if vampires can seduce other vampires, but Sakura is a sap for Sasuke, so she'd give in even if he didn't seduce her. Oh yeah, and if you catch the breathing thing, I don't think they have to breathe, but I can't exactly describe it either way. I guess she's just used to breathing... same with Hinata.

As for anything else, **if you all have questions to ask, now would be a good time. I'll answer them in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10: Fast Forward

AN: Phantomgamer01: Ino holds the information, but must speak it herself. Orochimaru can't track her location, but he can speak to her telepathically, same with a lot of his other kin, to call them back for any reason. The reason he can't talk to the others is because Kakashi cast them all away from him before he "died." (I know, why not just beat it out of Ino or Shikamaru?) Well, while Orochimaru's blinded by all his anger toward Itachi, he's not thinking straight. Therefore… Itachi, umm, I don't want to ruin anything. But, Shikamaru and Ino aren't the people he's looking for, why not complicate the situation a little bit so he can attain what he wants? It's Orochimaru's loss, not his. Itachi's plotting something, and that's all I'll reveal.

Hikariko: Yeah, I can put Anko in, it's still not too late, and I've been looking for an ability Hinata could have and I couldn't find one, so I'll use that healing suggestion. Thank you. ::smiles::

Me no not you: Lime is sex, without ever getting to actual sex; it just describes everything before it, and in some cases after it. It's more like a sloppier version of making out… I guess, getting to second base, but not making it to third. The author leads you up to a certain point, and from then on, it's the readers imagination what they do.

Black Phoenix KaT: Itachi and Orochimaru share a difficult past. They were comrades, (much like the series) but one has the potential to defeat the other. Truth is, Orochimaru fears Itachi for possessing so much power, and yeah, Itachi could leave at anytime, however, there is something that's keeping Itachi under Orochimaru's rule... You'll just have to wait to see what that is.

**Sorry for the wait!**

Chapter 10: Fast Forward

They both sat there, staring at each other. Tenten on the bed, and he was on a near by chair in front of her. _'I want her to be mine…'_ He sighed, got up from his seat and strode toward her.

"Tenten…" He whispered. She let out a small gasp and looked at him straight in the eyes. _'Uh oh…'_ It was the same seduction move he used on her a few times before. She was so used to it, she wondered if it affected her as much as before. Tenten winced. _'Oh dear…'_ He wrapped his arm around her waist. Neji pulled her paralyzed boy closer to his, inhaling the scent of her hair. Tenten shuddered. _'Here goes…'_ She couldn't move. He moved down, cupped her face between his hands and kissed her eyes shut. Her lips parted unintentionally.

"What are you afraid of?" His voice was barely audible. She couldn't answer. "I see it Tenten. You can't hide it all the time you know." She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried herself into his neck. That took him by surprise. He took a step back and killed the seduction bit. "Tenten?"

"What makes you think I'm afraid?" She asked with a smile. She tilted her head up so that she was looking at him.

"Your eyes…" he answered simply.

"Oh? I'm afraid. I think you're wrong." Tenten grabbed his shirt, pulled him down onto the bed, and straddled his hips. His eyes widened. Her gaze was challenging, inwardly, he shivered. "Do I look afraid to you?" she seethed. Neji didn't know whether to be frightened or happy, he just kept on staring. "Quit that." She hissed.

He looked at her with confused eyes. "Quit what?"

"Staring." She poked him in the chest.

"I'm staring? What's wrong with staring?" He tried getting up, but she tightened her hold on him.

"It's creepy." She replied. He kept looking at her. "What?! Stop!" She covered his eyes. He tried prying her hands away.

"Tenten. What the hell are you doing?" She kept her hands in place.

"Keeping you from staring." Neji suddenly had the urge to bite her fingers.

"What if I like what I'm looking at?" he said in a low tone. She fell silent. He took the opportunity to remove her hands from his eyes. "Hmph, I somehow managed to shut you up. That's a miracle."

"Not like you believe." Tenten spoke softly.

"You have a point. Now, _Get off_." He struggled to get up. _'Stop messing around, so we can get this over with…'_ He took some breaths. Her grip tightened still.

"Tenten…" he growled. "Let go." She shook her head and smirked. "This is so fucking pointless…" she hit him over the head.

"Such foul language." She poked him again. This time, he tried biting her finger. "What _are_ you doing?!" she pulled her hand away.

"Quit poking me." He ordered. A wide grin spread across her features.

"Quit staring." She retorted. They both locked eyes with one another, each of them with an intense glare on their face. He blinked. "I win!" she said cheerfully and poked him on the forehead.

"Ok, enough is enough. Get off me."_ 'What was I thinking?!'_ he smacked his forehead. She pouted, and to his displeasure, she looked awful cute doing so. He tried to shut his eyes. _'Shit…'_

"You sure know how to kill a good time." She sighed and began to get up, but he reversed the roles and rolled over. He was now on top and she was on bottom. He pinned her down to prevent her escape.

"My turn." He said coolly.

"Your turn for what?" she suddenly began to feel nervous, or was it anxious? Her thoughts jumbled.

He leaned down until his nose was barely touching hers. "No more games…" he whispered into her ear. She shut her eyes tightly. He moved to her neck.

"Neji, what are you doing?" she let out a small whimper.

"You've had your fun, it's my turn to have mine." He planted a kiss above her collarbone.

"This is _fun_?" He grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. "Now what are you doing?"

"This is what you've wanted isn't it?" he nipped her ear.

"Not like this, no." she blinked. He stopped what he was doing. "This is what you want."

"I want you." He stated suddenly, but realizing what he just said, he turned away. She giggled. "For an assassin, you sure are cheerful." He said dryly and began to get off, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him in place. The challenge in her eyes returned. _'Uh oh…'_

She felt him stiffen. "Something wrong?" He shook his head.

Neji pried her arms off. "It's almost dawn."

"Oh? No problem." He glared at her. "Oh…You were beginning to act so human, I forgot that you were a vampire." She said sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, go do what you have to."

"No, what did you mean by that?" He eyes her warily, a grace of a smirk apparent on his lips.

"You have to sleep." She urged him off of the bed, and her. He wrapped his arms around her.

"What did you mean?" he leaned in extremely close. She opened her mouth to speak-"Don't you dare change the subject." He warned.

"Bite me." She stuck her tongue out at him. He smirked and did so… into her _neck._ "OW!" she slapped him playfully. "I didn't mean literally!!" Unlike the other female victims, Tenten went down laughing. _'Dawn can wait…'_ More laughter erupted from her.

"Tenten, you're making this difficult." He said the best he could, seeing as how his mouth was rather occupied. _'You're mine…' _She laughed harder.

Naruto glared at her. She glared back. He blinked. "I'm hungry." He got up suddenly.

"Hey, wait! Where-where are you going? You can't leave me here!" The truth was, she was a little horrified by the house. It was large, old, and dark. She grabbed his shirtsleeve.

"Not like I can do anything." He replied.

"W-what?" Hinata questioned. That answer had nothing to do with what she asked.

"I'm sorry if this house doesn't please you, but really, I need to Eat!" He rubbed his tummy.

Her eyes widened. _'Oh, he can read thoughts…'_ "But it's almost dawn-."

"Yeah, I know." He pulled his sleeve away from her. "It's not a problem." He grinned. "Or are you worried about me?"

"Not particularly," she then felt weak, an odd feeling enveloped her. Her body felt dry, and shriveled. _'What's wrong?'_

"You're hungry too." He let out a small laugh. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with. Now come on, we need to get this done, and quickly."

"B-but, but-." Naruto grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, at this rate, you'll wither away, and I'm not giving you any more blood!"

She tried to pull away. "Not like I asked for it, and besides if I wither away-."

"It's a lot more painful than you think. Ask Shikamaru, he tried it." He shrugged. She shook her head violently. "Ok, if you're not coming _sit_ here and _die_ a painful death. You remember what Neji did to you?" She shuddered. "That's what it feels like only… worse. So are you coming or not?" Naruto grinned cheekily.

Hinata placed a hand on her bottom lip. On one hand she wanted to get away from this place and just die, but on the other hand, she didn't want to repeat what Neji did to her. Sure, she'd be willing to fight him again, but the disgusting, bloody feeling that enveloped inside her when he used that strange jutsu frightened her. For once in her life, something frightened her, and now, she was afraid of herself, and of what _she_ could do.

"Quit thinking so much will you?" Naruto rubbed his temple. "Ow." Hinata's eyes softened.

"G-gomen." She whispered. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Ne, Don't worry about it." He tugged at her wrist again. "Come on, Let's go, we can make it into the nearest town if we do." Hinata gulped. She didn't want to taste blood. "I promise it's not that bad. Once you get past the depriving a human of their life, by feeding yourself so continue your life as this hideous night creature thing, it works out fine." He patted her shoulder, and ushered her off the bed.

"I-I-…" she stuttered.

"When you bite them, just don't give thought." Naruto pushed her out of the room.

"B-but I have no reason to-." She began. He cut her off.

"I know, I know, you have no reason to live, and dying a horrible death for the sake of those who you are going to feed from is better, I thought of that too. Unfortunately, if you sit there for endless hours your body will act on it's own." Naruto sighed. _'I hope she buys this…'_ In truth, even if one doesn't drink blood, one won't die painfully. He made up a lie to get her to feed.

"I-uhh…" she gave up. "Ok, I'll try it, but if I don't like it-."

"I'll stab the steak in you myself." Naruto offered. Hinata glowered.

"I appreciate it." She said sarcastically. The two walked down the long hallways toward the outside of the mansion. Oblivious to the fact that the sun's rays shined in the distance.

"Sasuke-kun." She whispered. He looked at her. "What are we going to do? We're not going to stay in this room all day are we?" Sakura frowned. "I know vampires can't be in light, but isn't there somewhere we can go?"

"Anywhere in the mansion. We keep it pretty dark, just don't go outside." He stated simply. Sakura sighed. She was an outdoors person. She liked the fresh air and the freedom of it all, and now, she was stuck here, trapped.

"I have to wait till nightfall then."

"Wait till nightfall for what?" He asked with a questioning gaze.

"If you've been watching me for so long, you'd know I like to take walks." She patted his cheek.

"You do? You never did before…"

"I had a reason not to." He wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh? And what would that be?" his face was dangerously close to hers.

"It's a surprise." She grinned. He groaned and leaned into her neck. Sasuke eventually let go of her and walked toward a cabinet. Sakura stared at him. He was still naked. A small giggle escaped her lips as she studied his lean figure, toned body and disheveled hair._ 'Thank god he hasn't lost it…'_ Sasuke eyed her warily.

"What are you looking at?" He pulled out an outfit from within the cabinet, and began to dress himself. Sakura pouted.

"Oh nothing." She pulled the sheets up around her. "You don't happen to have anything I could wear, do you?" Sasuke nodded. He kept some of Sakura's old clothes… for memory purposes. He threw her a familiar red dress. "You still have it!" She felt the urge to hug him, and did so.

"S-Sakura-." He took a step back in surprise, but that didn't stop him from returning the embrace. That was until the sheet began to fall from around her body, and Shikamaru happened to open the door. Sasuke quickly re-wrapped his wife and placed a hand over her 'rump' to keep his friend from looking any further. Sakura gaped in surprise and buried herself in her husbands shoulder in embarrassment. "Get dressed Sakura, I'll meet you outside." He whispered so only she could hear.

Once Sasuke was outside of the room, he glared at Shikamaru. "Is there a problem?" Shikamaru nodded.

"Naruto has a bride!" Shikamaru growled. Sasuke blinked.

"_Naruto_? Are you serious or were you hallucinating?" _'Is it just me or is everyone hallucinating?'_

"I'm not hallucinating, he has a bloody woman!" Shikamaru shook his fist.

"So?" Sasuke stared at him. "Since when were you concerned with such things? This isn't normal, even for you."

"Neji just made a fucking bride." Shikamaru growled. Sasuke's eyes almost popped out of his sockets.

"Are you serious?"

"Well I thought you'd need to know. You were too busy fuc-." Shikamaru was cut off by a sharp glare. "You were so busy with your wife, you didn't even notice."

"Is that all?" Sasuke sighed.

"Naruto and his woman just left."

"What? You mean outside? Is he trying to kill her?! That idiot." Sasuke muttered.

"Ino said she saw them-."

"Ino?!" Sakura interrupted as she came out of the room. She grabbed Shikamaru's shoulders and shook him. "You mean Yamanaka Ino?!" Sasuke eventually got her to let go. Shikamaru nodded and adjusted his clothing. Sakura slumped. "Y-you- where is she?" she demanded.

"Sakura what's with the sudden urgency, and how do you know Ino?" Sasuke demanded. Sakura avoided the subject.

"She's in my room." He pointed at the door right across from Sasuke's room. Sakura began to go but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Don't avoid me, how do you know Ino?" Sakura's face contorted in a pained expression.

"A month before you disappeared, Ino did. She lived in the Hidden Mist and was going to come for our wedding… I was going to introduce the two of you, but the news reached me and I- I didn't think she'd-." Sakura choked. Sasuke sighed and let her go.

"Don't worry, we've been introduced." He spat. Her eyes widened.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked in a soft voice. He shook his head and pushed her to go into Shikamaru's room. She took one sad look at him before she entered.

"Well, come on, we'd better go after that dobe before he gets the both of them killed." Sasuke snarled and walked off, not bothering to see whether Shikamaru followed or not.

"Ino…" Sakura whispered. The blonde was sitting on the bed. Her head snapped up. A slow, lazy smile appeared on her lips.

"Forehead-girl. I'm glad you made it."

"Hello to you too Ino-pig!" Sakura snapped back. "I can't believe you've been here the whole time! Why didn't you come see me?!"

"You were busy with Sasuke!" Ino got up from the bed. "I couldn't find the opportunity." She approached her pink haired companion. "It's good to see you!" she screeched. Sakura laughed.

"We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?"

"Yes, we do." Ino dragged her to a nearby chair. "How's life treating you so far?"

"I don't know, I grew up with an abusive aunt, fell in love with Sasuke, found out I was reborn, got turned into a vampire… it's been a rush." Ino let out a hearty laugh. "What about you?" Sakura changed the subject. "What happened?"

Ino's blue eyes suddenly turned dull. "Perhaps another time, ok Sakura?" Sakura blinked. She knew better than to pry, but-.

"Touchy subject huh? Any men you happen to be interested in?" Ino gaped. _'Uh oh…'_ she shook her head quickly. "Shikamaru seems like a nice fellow."

"So uh," she coughed. The blonde changed the subject. "If you don't mind me asking… how- what happened to you? How did you die?" Sakura stiffened and looked away.

"If it's alright, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Hmph, just cause I didn't tell you how I died-."

Sakura let out a small laugh. "Fair trade. I won't tell you, until you tell me."

"Fine." Ino seethed. The two burst out in laughter and continued discussing their lives, or there lack of... until, Ino felt something pound her head. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Sakura asked curiously. Ino suddenly let out a scream and clutched her head painfully. "Ino?!" she went to her friends side. _'Oh no…'_ "Ino?!"

"Get out! Get out!" She screamed and shook her head violently. "Don't bother me, you said you'd leave me alone!" she gasped. Sakura took a step back.

"Are you alright?"

_'Ino, come back…'_ a low voice seethed. "I don't want to! You said I was free, you don't need me anymore!" Ino's body began to shake. _'Like it or not, I own you bitch, return now!'_ Sakura grabbed her shoulders. "No, go away Orochimaru! Please!" _'If you don't come back, I'll fulfill that death wish you begged for not so long ago…'_ "Don't threaten me you old fool!" Ino snarled. _'You promised me. You're bound to me! Don't go back on it you wench!'_

Sakura stared at her panicking friend, not knowing what to do. _'Who is this Orochimaru?__Why is this happening?'_ One moment they were enjoying each other's company and the next, Ino goes psycho. _'What's going on?'_

_'Come back to me Ino…' _She shook her head. "No! I won't do it! I don't care anymore, please I don't want to go back!" A picture of her family being burnt to ashes in the sun flashed across her tightly shut eyes. Chouji's pained expression reached out toward her. "I won't do it!" _'You either come back to me, or your pathetic sensei dies also!'_ Ino blinked. "What are you talking about?! Answer me Orochimaru!" _'I have the poor wench walking into my posession as we speak, unless you come here, now, I will kill her_ _in an even more hideous way than Chouji was!'_ "Don't toy with me your old fart!" And there was silence…

Ino punched a nearby wall. "Damn that bastard." Sakura stood near her, confused and dumbfounded by the entire situation. _'Just what the hell is going on?'_

Anko walked along the cliffs over-looking Orochimaru's castle. Unknowingly, she was walking right into his hands, just as he said… _'Let the games begin...'_

TBC…

AN: Yes, I know I update about once a week, I just fell behind, that's all. I had writers block and I seriously didn't know what to do. Not my best chapter huh? There's so much dialogue. I hope this explained a bit. The pace is picking up... I hope. Tell me truthfully, your opinions about this chapter, because I don't know what the hell to interpret it as.

I put Anko in a little earlier than expected, but hey, it worked out. I realize Asuma is supposed to be Ino's sensei however, Neji and Shikamaru were trained by Kakashi, why not turn things around a bit. This is my fan fiction after all, my imagination, my way. Just like the four boys developed a bond with their teacher, Ino did with… guess who? If any of this is making sense so far, please tell me, I have no idea, I have no desire to re-read this for the millionth time.


	12. Chapter 11: Entwined

AN: I'm sorry for the wait. I know I said I update every two weeks, or once a week, but it's been three weeks and still no chapter right? For that, I apologize; I can't guarantee quick updates anymore. For the past week(s) I've been busy with school registration and activities and being lazy, teehee (forgive me for that one)... I couldn't find the time/energy to write the full chapter. But now, schools starting again and I actually found that I write better around the school year, but I don't have as much time. I try my best... heh.

Yes, I know, Tenten should've been the only human, see, when I was writing that particular chapter up my original intention was to have Neji break her heart and she'd be so upset she ran out of the house. He would go out search for her, but I found that far too… complicated. Now since I wrote this part, it would've worked out perfectly with the scenario, but it's too late to go back now… I really regret not writing it though. I'll just follow my instincts next time. Perhaps a few twists should remedy that problem…

Another chapter dedication is in order, I might as well dedicate "Broken Wings" To this reviewer, but I opted for this chapter instead. Sorry, not to be unfair or anything, but every time I read this person's review(s) I wrote something, so once again, this chapter is dedicated to **Violently Cheerful. **Thanks again! You helped a lot. :)

Conflict between Sakura and Ino, I'm not bashing on anyone because I like both characters, however you might be a little ticked at Ino, and you might look down on Sakura for being so gullible… Just a slight warning.

Chapter 11: Entwined

…………

"Ino?!" Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder. "Snap out of it!" Ino placed a trembling hand on her lips with her eyes wide. Her entire body was shaking. She could hardly hear Sakura's frustrated screams. "Ino! Get a hold of yourself!" After Orochimaru's calling Ino went into a slight shock.

Then she got annoyed. She slapped her friend's hand out of the way. "Back the hell off Sakura!" The pink haired girl shuddered. Ino hadn't used that tone on her since they were four when they faught over who had the prettiest doll.

"What's the matter with you?! Why are you acting this way?" Sakura asked angrily.

"What's the matter with me?!" Ino gave her a sharp glare. "Why am I acting this way? You would act this way if you were turned vampire against your will, sent to live with some psycho under his rule! Watch your friends die pitifully in front of you! If the one closest to you abandoned you! If you were…" She fell to the ground unable to continue with what she was going to say. "If you were…" she repeated. All the images of her past she tried so hard to bury, surfaced.

"Ino? If you were what?" Sakura asked solemnly. Her blonde friend blinked, as if realizing what she said. Fire burned in her blue orbs. Something in her mind churned. She snapped. A mad grin spread on her darkened face.

"I don't want to get you dragged into this, now do I?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and bitterness. "Why do you need to be concerned about me when you are obviously so happy and content. Just go back to your divine haven with Sasuke! Just butt out! Don't come near me _forehead girl_." Her jealousy seeped through, along with everything else. _'It was all Sakura's fault… That's right…'_

Sakura took a few steps away from her friend. "I-Ino?" She was confused. _'What did I do wrong?'_

"Just don't come near me! I was fine until you came back! _We_ were fine until you came back!" Ino pushed Sakura out of the room.

"What the hell are you talking about Ino?! Cut the crap! I haven't done anything wrong!" Sakura struggled against her.

"Hmph." Ino stopped pushing. "Sasuke and I were fine until you were reborn…" She said sinisterly. Sakura froze.

"W-what did you say?!" Her eyes widened. "Y-you're lying. You didn't even know Sasuke-." She remembered. _'Don't worry,'_ he said, _'we've already been introduced.'_ Was that supposed to mean something more?

"Oh? You think I'm lying? Tell me Sakura, just how does it feel when he's making love to you? When he's fucking you? Does it all end in a burst of color? Does he make you whine for more?" Ino hissed. "Especially when he-."

"Ino you've gone crazy!" Sakura shot back.

"Oh have I?" She pursed her lips. _'It's all Sakura's fault!'_

"How would you know anyway?" Sakura seethed angrily.

"I experienced it first hand." Ino replied daintily. _'Suffer the way I have…'_

"Y-you mean you-and Sasuke…" Sakura couldn't find the room to breathe. She fell to her knees. "He's… You're bluffing. I don't believe you! You really have gone crazy-."

"I've always been honest with you Sakura. Don't think I let that slip over the years." Ino crossed her arms. The pink haired girl shook her head. _'She's right… if she's telling the truth…'_

Sakura looked up at her seriously. "Ino. I want to know…" she gulped. "Everything. Please?"

Ino sighed contently. "Of course." Insanity gleamed in her eyes. _'The fool...'_

……………

"Orochimaru…" Anko seethed with her fist clenched. She wiped the small amount of blood off her cheek and snapped her shoulder back in place. A screech pierced the air. "Damn it!" She cursed and ran through the dense trees around Orochimaru's castle. A 'whoosh' sounded near her. She slid onto the ground. "Where is it…" she scanned the area. Suddenly a flash of white appeared. "There!"

It was one of Orochimaru's kin. "He knows I'm here. He's known…" Anko unsheathed her sword. This was the second attack she encountered when she stepped onto his land. She knew the area like the back of her hand and she knew where the guards were positioned. She thought the first attack was coincidental, but this…

He sent one of his brides after her. Yes, Orochimaru had wives. He'd dump them or slaughter them… but the ones he found above pleasure he would make into warriors. Some of the best were his brides as a matter of fact. The only thing they knew was to serve Orochimaru. "Pitiful souls." Anko spat as she readied herself for combat. She stepped with precision, keeping her eye on her nearly invisible enemy.

She knew how they worked. "Of course I'd know how they work…" The bride screeched and flew directly at Anko. It clawed at her and managed to get her leg. Anko moved out of the way in time to prevent the attack from hitting anything critical. Rage filled her. "Of course I'd know... I was one of them." A grim expression set on her features. She jumped into the air. The vampire mistress flew up after her, but couldn't spot her foe. Anko appeared behind her and brought her sword down, chopping an arm off. Then, she disappeared, leaving the bride to scream pathetically about her arm. It was dangling by a mere skin.

Anko smirked from the ground. _'I love kage bunshin…'_ Fury erupted from the petite bride as she swooped down, much like an eagle catching its prey. Anko immediately took off, dashing into the trees, hoping to throw the bride off for even a second. "She's fast." Anko clenched her teeth. "But I'm faster…" She ran until she was at the very edge of the cliff, sliding to a halt at the very edge and turned around to face her enemy. She readied her sword, holding it in front of herself with both hands. Three seconds later the bride's screech reached her ears.

Anko kept her eyes on her enemy. It charged at her in a fit of rage. However, Anko stayed calm. The bride was a mere yard away. She leapt up into the air in an attempt to strike Anko down with her claw with a slash to the head. Anko remained in her position. As soon as her claws were an inch away, Anko grabbed the arm, plunged the sword through her abdomen, threw her so that she was hanging at the edge of the cliff, and jammed the sword into a crack in the stone, to hold the screaming bride in place. Anko reached into her over coat and pulled out a stake she'd been concealing. Without an ounce of emotion on her face she shoved the wooden piece into the mistress' chest.

She pulled her precious sword out of the girl. "Hmph, Rest in peace." With that Anko spun her heel and walked toward Orochimaru's castle, leaving the stake inside her female foe, pinning her limp body to the cliff. "That was just the warm up..." Anko beamed.

…………..

Naruto heaved as he dragged a falling Hinata behind him. Because of the lack of blood she began to grow weak with each step. He had to drag her along, and quickly. They slowed down for a good five minutes, and that had ruined everything. He could feel the sun's heat burning him, and it was just the rays showing. He took in a breath and looked back at the girl behind him, who was panting heavily.

"Come on, Hinata-chan," she looked up at him with surprise, "We don't have much time! You have to pull through…" He tugged her arm again.

Hinata could feel her legs giving out. She just couldn't do it anymore. Her stamina wasn't going up. She just felt so weak… Her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto stopped immediately and was at her side.

"G-gomen, Naru-." He shook his head.

"We can't waste time." Naruto picked her up. "I'll carry you there, we'll find an old, dark house to reside in for the day." She had no choice but to oblige. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck. "Alright then, we have to hurry." He began to run, as fast as his body would allow. Hinata let out a small whimper. "Shit, Hinata-chan, keep your eyes open! Do you hear me?!" Her eyes fluttered. Naruto increased his pace ten fold. His eyes searched for the area for anything that would help the two of them.

The sun's rays seemed brighter now, and with each passing second the heat would double. With Hinata in his arms, he couldn't perform the right seals for the sun jutsu. Not to mention, Hinata didn't know it either, He couldn't just perform it and let her suffer like that.

_'I was an idiot for thinking I could take her out here! Damn it…'_ But he knew he didn't have a choice. After Neji attacked her she'd lost so much blood, He drank what was left of it and gave her his own, hoping that it might last, at least for three days. Unfortunately, from the moment he carried her into the house her body was already failing. Knowing there would be some sort of struggle he had to find a way to get her out to feed, but the timing was horrible.

Naruto uttered a curse. _'I could make it… but she doesn't know the jutsu…'_ He didn't know what to do. "Naruto…" He heard her say weakly.

"You know my name?" He asked with surprise. He felt the heat again. "I mean, uhh never mind, what is it?" Her hand flimsily pointed at something. "What's over there?" He asked her.

"I saw something…" She coughed. Naruto nodded, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

"There's cabin over there right?" She nodded weakly. Naruto held her closer to his body. The sun was peaking through brilliantly. "There's a problem, we need some blood, if it's abandoned-…" He gulped. _'She would die… and it would be all my fault.'_ "We-I can't risk that." Hinata let out a strangled cry, feeling as if her body was shriveling up. "Hinata! Don't give up, we're almost there!" Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck, showing him just how much pain she was in. "Damn it."

He now had no choice; the sun was halfway up. His back began to burn and shrivel tremendously. Immediately, He turned to the cabin. To his relief, from a distance one could tell there was no light. Grateful, He ran even quicker than before. "Hang on," He told her, "We're almost there." She didn't respond. "No, Hinata! Wake up!" He shook her as he ran. She still didn't say anything. "Arg!!" He growled. The burn on his back intensified. He hissed in pain.

They were almost there, only a few yards away. "Hinata, we're almost there!" The sun was now three fourths of the way up. Naruto held a scream. The heat on his back was so intense, he felt the skin peel off and turn to ashes. Despite that, he only continued to run. Hinata's arms fell from around his neck. "Shit." He cursed. They were so close. _He_ was so close. He wouldn't fail. He was at the front steps of the cabin.

The sun was almost fully risen. Naruto panicked. The light was creeping up the steps and toward the duo, and the door was locked. He twisted the knob the best he could, seeing as how his arms were occupied. It wouldn't budge. The searing pain on his back amplified again. Naruto couldn't take it. The pain was too great. He continued at the doorknob, but as soon as the sun touched his back, he let out a cry of agony.

……………

"Damn Anko!" Orochimaru threw his chalice across the room.

"What are you so mad about?" Itachi sat there bored. He poked a body next to him. "When are you going to wake Kakashi?" He poked him again. "Just watching you try to get rid of that bitch is so irritating. At least if you wake him I can get this done and-."

"Get what done?!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Find the mansion." Itachi said dully.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to-."

"No." Itachi cut him off curtly. "So wake him up already…" Orochimaru glared at him.

"What's the point? Ino hasn't returned yet, until she's come back we won't know where the mansion is."

Itachi ran a hand through his hair. "Do you sense anything from her?" He was getting anxious. He wanted his three subordinates, and he wanted them as soon as possible. The sooner he had them, the sooner he could-.

"I see her insanity has gotten the best of her…" Orochimaru smirked. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

……………

"Shikamaru, have you spotted them yet?" Sasuke asked as he scouted the area. The two already activated their justus and searched the lush forest area surrounding the mansion. With no luck around there they headed off toward the nearest town, only to be bombarded by the suns rays. It slowed their pace down and they assumed it slowed Naruto as well.

"Be patient Uchiha... I don't see any sign of either of them. Maybe they made it?" Shikamaru suggested dryly.

"Doubtful, it takes a while to reach the town, I don't think Naruto could run that fast, even with his great stamina. He also has that girl to worry about." Sasuke pointed out.

"Hm. So where do you think they went?" Shikamaru crossed his arms.

"I don't know. I don't even know why the hell I bothered coming out here anyway." Sasuke rubbed his temple. "I left a warm bed, and a pliant wife for that blonde dobe. He better be grateful." Shikamaru snickered.

"I can't believe you just said that." They ran at an even quicker pace. "It surprised me, how does your wife know Ino?"

Sasuke gave him a quick glance. "You heard her, they were best friends." He said it in a strangled voice. "I really don't like that."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Uh… huh?"

"How the hell can you stand the company of that woman?" Sasuke didn't mean to say it out loud but…

"It's hard to explain." Shikamaru shook his head. "She's not all that bad… accept when she gets a little eccentric, or when she goes insane."

"I think she's been insane." Sasuke snarled and then realized, "You're not joking are you? She really is crazy?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "You know how we all got those powers when we're transformed? Well, Ino could transfix her mind into another to control their body. However her teacher abandoned her before she knew how to do it correctly. She couldn't perform the technique properly and eventually those people she took over stayed inside her. She's become somewhat of a schizoid. They tell her false things. With Orochimaru's help she was able to keep the voices at bay, but when she gets angry or hurt those take over, and she lashes out at the people…"

"Hn, that explains a lot. Does it happen very often?"

"It usually happens when Orochimaru speaks to her… and if you know, you upset her."

"She can't control it can she?" Sasuke thought about it. "She can't control her powers?"

"Well she doesn't really have them anymore. Her powers are all gone. It just left her with those voices."

"That sucks." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "But, you can control minds doesn't that do something to you?"

"I made it through my training course, and besides, Ino had to leave her body, I just stay put and move them where ever I want them to go."

"I see…" Sasuke's eye twitched. The information Shikamaru just gave him somehow left a very eerie impression. He had a bad feeling about it... _'Saku-'_

"Over there!" Shikamaru pointed.

"What?" Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled. A loud scream pierced the air. "Shit." The two of them ran toward the noise immediately.

……………

She wouldn't wake up. She wouldn't move; she wasn't breathing. His eyes widened in disbelief and shock. She was laughing when they started, and when he was done with the process, she took a bite from him, and it all went haywire. Her body stiffened up. She shook violently as she gagged on something imaginary; there was barely any blood inside her.

"Tenten?" Her eyes were still wide open. He shook her a few times, but she wouldn't budge. He refused to believe it. He killed her. He drank from her, and now it was far too late for her to receive any blood… "Tenten!" He placed his hands on her shoulders. "No… this can't be happening… wake up. You're playing tricks on me again right?!" He asked her. She still didn't move. He fell to his knees, cursing himself for everything he did. _'If only I controlled myself…'_ He hung his head in shame and closed her open eyes. He buried his face in his hands. _'What have I done?'_

TBC…

…………..

AN: Wheee! Finally got this done. I'm content. Perhaps I twisted it a little too much, but hey that's my problem. Then again... there's that cliffie... I'll do something about it. It's still my problem, you guys just have to wait. Meantime... you guys can look for the preview of chapter 12 in my bio, if it's not there yet, it will be eventually.


	13. Chapter 12: Awakened

AN: The vampires have known jutsus since the beginning of the story. It was mentioned in chapter 1… if you missed it: _Orochimaru favored them as well, for reasons unknown… The king taught them a few of his tricks, from jutsus, to summonings to other certain things. That way, they could do things average vampires could not do_. Besides, I wanted to imply something from the original to my fic that way it doesn't feel too far out there.

Alright, as for the whole Hinata dying thing… I don't know, I thought I answered that… right about here: _After Neji attacked her she'd lost so much blood, He drank what was left of it and gave her his own, hoping that it might last, at least for three days. Unfortunately, from the moment he carried her into the house her body was already failing. Knowing there would be some sort of struggle he had to find a way to get her out to feed, but the timing was horrible_.

Yes, the paragraph thing is bad, but it explains a lot and besides if my fics were all dialogue I'd be answering questions almost every chapter, although I do realize that people tend to skip over the larger paragraphs and even the smaller ones, I encourage you to at least skim through so you know what's going on.

Chapter 12: Awakened

……

"Naruto!" Shikamaru shook his fallen body. "Wake up!" Sasuke stared at the girl he cradled in his arms. Just what was he supposed to do? "Gawd, the idiot made such a mess of things." Shikamaru scowled and looked around the cabin.

It looked like it was cozy, homey, and probably had a modern feel to it. However, the events that just took place in it disoriented the image. The walls were blood soaked, the couches, tables, curtains, sheets… everything was torn or knocked over and not too far from Naruto and Hinata's bodies were two corpses, probably a husband and a wife, their throats were torn open. Blood soaked the couple's clothing and their faces were frozen in sheer terror.

Sasuke shook his head. "The tips of her fingers are burnt." He examined Hinata's hands. Shikamaru gave a glance over at him.

"And?" He asked waiting for the point of the statement. Sasuke merely shrugged.

"If the two of them were running outside the entire time, I just figured she'd be burned elsewhere." He stated simply.

Shikamaru nodded. "Is this their doing?" He questioned. "Did Naruto and that girl do this to their victims?" Sasuke remained silent. "And here I thought Naruto hated killing… I can't picture this girl harming anyone."

"But we don't know for sure now do we?" Sasuke said suddenly feeling shady about this girl. Still… His onyx eyes traveled to the slain couple, widening tremendously. Carefully he laid the girl down and walked over to them. "Shikamaru…"

"Yeah?" He answered back putting Naruto down also and came over to see what got Sasuke to sound so grave.

"You see their necks, those are claws. If you look on the woman's arms and legs there are scratches, but on the man…" Sasuke lifted the torn fabric off of the man's torso. "There are bite marks."

"Werewolf?" Shikamaru inquired not quite getting it.

Sasuke shook his head. "The kyuubi was released. Naruto had to take drastic measures, meaning, he almost died." He glanced back at Naruto and Hinata. "Still… if the kyuubi was released, where is it now?" _'Her fingers…'_ "Did that girl seal the demon back into Naruto's body?" A sudden shuffle got their attention.

"Ngh…" Hinata groaned.

"She's awake."

……

"Just what is this place?" Sakura looked around. It was such a depressing area, just fitting for her mood. It was shady, despite the risen sun outside. _'They really do keep the mansion dark…_' Sakura choked.

She couldn't cry… no matter how much she wanted to get it all out… she couldn't cry. There was no moisture keeping her alive other than blood. It made her wonder if that was the reason why vampires can't survive in sunlight. They'd shrivel because they had no moisture in their bodies. Blood alone could not help them live… At the moment… she didn't feel like "living" anymore.

Anxiety got the best of her. She stumbled clumsily on her two feet and tripped, but caught her fall on a nearby fountain rail. She let out a hoarse cry. "Damn Sasuke, damn you! You dragged me to hell!" Sakura picked herself up and sat on the rail miserably. "Idiot!" She yelled at herself and cursed her reflection in the fountain water. She heaved in ragged breaths, suddenly feeling better. "What a creepy statue." Sakura muttered and gave a sour glare at the weeping angel centerpiece.

……

"Anko." A voice called out. She spun around with her sword in her hand, gazing around cautiously.

"I know you're there you bastard, show yourself!" She demanded. The voice laughed mechanically at her.

"Anko, you fool… I pity you so…" The voice said lightly.

"Cut the crap Orochimaru!" She yelled at him. Anko was determined to find the king. She could sense him, but he felt like he was everywhere. "I detest playing your games."

"Is that why you left me my dear?" Orochimaru questioned in a lightly hurt tone.

Anko seethed, "Perhaps." She slashed her sword at some vines blocking her path. "Why don't you stop hiding and come out so I can slay your ass? Huh?"

"You know damn well you can't so anything to me." Orochimaru retorted angrily.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" Anko snorted. "I hope you saw what I did to your pathetic bride."

"Hmph, pathetic? Why the name calling my dear? Jealous?" The king teased her.

"Don't think so highly of yourself. You are not worth-."

"If I am not worth anything to you then why are you here?" He questioned her.

Anko's fists clenched tightly around her sword. "I'm here to stop you."

"That's if you can find me." Orochimaru laughed. Anko's anger erupted. She slashed through the forest, chopping left and right, heightening her senses to find him. Then she heard a yawn. "You bore me…"

"Damn you!" Anko snarled angrily.

"And I do so get tired of your cursing." Orochimaru laughed again. "This brings back memories… ah, the games we used to play."

"Shut up!" She yelled at him and was finally able to pick up his chakra. It was getting stronger. She could feel it pulsing around her. She was so close… With one slash she could-.

"Game over." Orochimaru appeared behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck and then dodged her attempt to stab him. "Hmph." He grabbed her sword by the blade, and pulled it out of her hand. With a quick flick of the wrist he threw her limp body. It slammed into a tree nearby. Some of the splintered wood slashed through her body. Anko gasped. "You bitch." Orochimaru spat. He then gave a swift kick to her abdomen and knocked her out.

……

"Mmff!" Hinata stumbled backwards as Sasuke placed a hand over her mouth and a knife at her throat. She looked up with large eyes with terror shining in them.

"Listen girl, I don't know who you are, and what you did, but if you try to struggle or escape, I'll kill you here and now." Sasuke warned her. Hinata nodded. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them honestly. If-."

"I think she gets it Sasuke, you'll kill her." Shikamaru muttered with a wistful sigh. Sasuke glared at his companion and removed his hand from Hinata's mouth. "Now, what is your name?" Shikamaru asked.

"H-Hin..a-ta." She replied shakily. _'Who are these people?'_ Her eyes found Naruto's body behind the man who threatened her. "Naruto-kun!" She reached out to grab him. However, Sasuke grabbed her wrist before she could do so, held it until he could hear a little snap, and her whimper of pain.

"Don't move." The raven-haired man said threateningly. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"What happened here?" He continued his questioning.

Hinata avoided Sasuke and Shikamaru's dark gazes. She felt like she was being put on display. "I-I-I r-really don't remem-ber." Sasuke pulled out his knife again.

"You better make damn sure you do and soon." Hinata winced. This guy was so cruel… "Think a little harder." He demanded sternly.

"L-look, the last thing I remember was…" she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Her head began to hurt. "Naruto was running… a-and next thing was I got hurled into the house and woke up. I remember… Naruto-kun screaming and then everything turned red. I heard even more screams, and I saw Naruto's body fall. I- I reached out and…" She was jolted suddenly. Her eyes lids scrunched. She began to feel dizzy and swayed a couple of times. "I-I saw blood, a lot of blood..." She hugged her body as the scene replayed in her head. "B-blood."

Naruto's waking groan sent everyone's attention toward him; he had been awake the entire time and was listening to their interrogation. He stayed in his sprawled position on the floor and turned his head so that he was facing the trio. He looked at Hinata with angry eyes. "And I killed them, the both of them mercilessly. I slaughtered them, drank their blood, fed her-no drowned her with it! I clawed their flesh, tore their ligaments... and I was laughing the entire time..." The blonde clenched his fists tightly. " I enjoyed it."

"Naruto-kun...?" Hinata tore her gaze away from him. _'Naruto would never really do that… would he?'_ It was then she noticed her blood soaked shirt. "No…" she gasped.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Naruto-." Shikamaru started to say, but Naruto cut him off. He sprang up from the floor.

"How am I not supposed to be huh?! I just slaughtered two people, two innocent people! I lost control! I had no excuse!" He punched a nearby wall. "Damn it! How the hell could I take this situation?!"

Sasuke glared at him. "Get control of yourself dobe."

"Control?! Ha! Right, if I had any control at all this wouldn't have happened. You idiot." Naruto muttered. Sasuke snarled and was about to retort, but Shikamaru held him back.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's timid voice called out.

"What?!" He snapped at her. The violet haired girl flinched. Naruto softened his gaze. "Gomen Hinata-chan. What is it?" He said again a little softer. She opened her mouth to speak hesitantly, but closed it. "Well?"

"I… I know you're mad, but-but I-…" She stuttered. Hinata evaded her eyes from his blue ones, knowing he could read her thoughts. She merely gave a shrug.

"The fox thing you saw, was that it?" Naruto glowered. She was scared of him. "Hmph." He shook his head solemnly in a stubborn manner… No one had _ever_ been afraid of him, and the one he didn't want to be afraid, was… He clenched his fists tightly, not even realizing the gash pulsing with blood on his arm. His vision swirled in front of him, and he stumbled a few steps back.

"Naruto-kun!" She got up from the floor, ran to his side and helped him keep his balance. Naruto slumped. His legs wobbled beneath him painfully. Hinata wrapped her arms around him, only to receive a pained hiss.

"Ah!" Naruto gasped in pain. Sasuke and Shikamaru came up beside the couple.

"Naruto, just what the hell happened to you?" Shikamaru slung his comrades arm over his shoulder and motioned for Hinata to do the same, seeing as how Naruto's legs refused to work at the moment…

"Bloody hell!" Naruto shouted suddenly, causing Hinata and Shikamaru to jump. He whipped his head around to find Sasuke poking at his back. "What the hell did you do that for?!" The blonde fumed angrily.

"It seems your back is burnt." He stated simply. "How could you let yourself get burnt?!"

Naruto glared at him. "Hey, hey! I had difficulties ok?! I was holding the goddamn girl! Try doing the jutsu with they type of bur-…" He then felt Hinata stiffen beside him. _'Uh oh.'_ Hinata looked away. "I-uh- I…" He didn't know how to approach this one… "Hinata-chan…?" Naruto mentally slapped himself. "I- Hinata-chan-…" He tried explaining himself again. Hinata flinched.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-kun…" She muttered quietly with a swallow. She looked over toward Sasuke and motioned for him to take Naruto's other arm. "Just hang on a minute ok?" Naruto nodded dumbly as she went behind him and lifted his shirt up over his shoulders. Hinata gulped at the searing flesh before her. _'I can't let that bother me…'_ she told herself. "Don't move." She commanded and placed her cool hands over his back.

Naruto shut his eyes and felt an intense pressure of cold air spread across his back. Her hands traveled across the wrinkled flesh like butterfly wings, caressing every inch of charred skin, melting away everything and replacing it with renewed flesh. After a few moments of the feeling, it was over, she placed his shirt back, and he found himself missing the sensation. Suddenly, he felt the urge to run outside and get burnt again.

Hinata walked to his right arm, the one Sasuke was holding, and healed the gash on that as well. The three men could only watch her with amazement. "So this is your power…" Naruto whispered as the cool air tingled his arm. Hinata nodded and hid her hands behind her back.

"It makes up for being a burden, doesn't it?" Naruto frowned. "I-…" His brow crinkled.

Shikamaru then dropped Naruto's arm and let Sasuke hold him up. He went over to the two dead bodies and with some oil he found, he poured it over the corpses. He then found a set of matches and took one out.

"We should leave." The other three nodded, only Naruto continued to look at the corpses. "Don't dwell on it." Shikamaru said sternly. "Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do."

"The Kyuubi…" Naruto whispered, "is a part of me." He looked at Shikamaru solemnly. "That means, I did do it and it was my fault."

"It was either them or you and Hinata." Sasuke spoke. Naruto then looked over at Hinata.

"Do you think I killed them?" She didn't answer because she didn't know how. He took her silence as the answer and felt deep unsatsisfaction over the fact that Hinata didn't believe him. "Come on then… Hinata-chan. Shikamaru will carry you." He avoided eye contact.

After Shikamaru and Sasuke activated their jutsus, they lit the dead bodies on fire and ran out of the house and back to the mansion. Hinata gave a glance back at the cabin as she rode on Shikamaru's back. She whispered a silent blessing and tightened her grasp on Shikamaru, despite her burning hands. She held in a cry of pain as her the skin on her hands crumbled into ash…

……

Itachi sighed sorrowfully as he stared at Kakashi's limp body. He poked it once… twice, no response. A sudden bang through the doors caught his attention. Orochimaru came in, holding Anko by her collar and strapped her to the wall. "Wow, you have a woman this time." He said mildly surprised. The king simply glared at him.

"Shut your mouth, don't speak." Orochimaru commanded.

Itachi glared back. "You do not command me; you are not my king."

"Hmph." Orochimaru glowered and walked over toward Kakashi's body. He then saw something odd, bound and gagged beside it. "What's this?" He unraveled the package only to see a familiar head with blonde hair. A sinister grin spread across his face. "Don't you think you went a little far?"

"Look, the damn girl was talking to herself, and she would not shut up." Itachi glared at the unconscious body. "I had to do something, every time I got near the damn girl she freaked out and called me Sasuke."

Orochimaru looked amused. He stroked the unconscious girl's cheek. "And the bounding and gagging?"

Itachi looked away. "She jumped." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow expectantly. "On me." After a few moment of awkward silence… "Moron."

"Poor little Itachi was violated." He taunted.

"Shut your mouth, don't speak." Itachi said, using Orochimaru's command.

"You don't have authority over me, idiot." Orochimaru snarled. "This benefits me well…" He unbound the girl. "You came back to me after all… Ino."

TBC…

……

AN: Ok… I know that was a long time, but I updated. Uh huh, I did. So, hope you all enjoyed it!


	14. Chapter 13: Downfall

AN: Sorry for the long wait. I know apologies can't save me at this point, but hey, ah well. I've been stuck with an English project that takes at least three months to complete, but now I am half way through it, and I have a break, so I am excited and a little relieved. Felt a stroke of inspiration, and here I am… again. I actually enjoyed writing this chapter despite the long time it took to write it, hope you all do too.

Chapter 13: Downfall

……

Darkness surrounded him. He had no idea where he was, or whom he was with. The only thing he could register was a shock and a sudden shot of pleasure that ran through his body. If this was heaven, it was far from what he'd pictured. It was still pleasant… right? He wanted to feel again… It had been so long…

……

"Leave them here." Sasuke instructed as he and Shikamaru arrived at the mansion and went promptly to Naruto's quarters. Shikamaru settled Hinata on the bed.

"Watch over him." He told her in a dangerously low tone. "He will wake soon." She nodded graciously and managed a smile. Shikamaru and Sasuke exited the room leaving Hinata alone with Naruto's unconscious body. She turned to the blonde and stared at him sorrowfully. _'I'm sorry…'_ She felt that it was all her fault. Her pale hand rested on his cold forehead, but she pulled back flinching, the skin on her hands crumbled. As thankful as she was for her power, the consequences were just too painful. She didn't know if she could take another healing.

Naruto's brow crinkled. He was beginning to wake. She quickly pulled her hand away and cast her gaze somewhere else. "Hi there." He said hoarsely and rubbed his head. "I must've fallen asleep while you guys were carrying me back." He let out a small cough. "I feel like shit." Hinata turned and smiled warmly at him, discretely hiding her hands beneath her thighs. "Ne… Hinata-chan, is… everything-you know… okay now?" He asked slowly, unsure of her answer.

"Y-yes." She replied quietly. An awkward silence settled between the two of them for a while. Naruto had no idea how to approach her on the subject. What would she think of him? Would he seem hypocritical to her? She knew he didn't like to kill and yet… at the cabin… Naruto fisted the sheets. As the scrunched beneath his fingers, the fabric ground against the skin on Hinata's hands, which her underneath her thighs.

She tried to suppress the small cry of pain, but a small, strangled whimper came out and caught Naruto's attention. "Is something wrong?" He asked her worriedly.

"No, n-not at all." She replied as normally as she could. Naruto raised an eyebrow and noticed her hidden hands. His curiosity perked, and he tugged at the sheets a little more. Again, her expression changed and a small cry escaped her lips.

"Hinata-chan let me see your hands." He looked straight at her. She met his gaze defiantly and shook her head. "Hinata-chan." He demanded again.

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun," she lied.

"Then why do you react so painfully when I tug on the sheets?" He said seriously. Hinata shrugged and gave an odd smile, which caused Naruto to blink a few times. His question had been answered. He noticed an odd speck of something falling from his face, and immediately, his hand traveled to his forehead. He did a quick swipe and noticed an odd crumble. _'Skin…?'_ He wanted to be disgusted, he really did, but noting Hinata's odd behavior and his new found discovery, Naruto now **had** to see what was wrong with her.

"Hinata-chan…" he mumbled lowly, thinking of a quick way to get her to talk. He had tried to read her thoughts, but only came out with small phrases like, _'I can't let him see…'_ It only made him want to find out more. _'What's the best way to shock a girl?'_ He thought up.

_'I could… spank-no; she's sitting down…bite? Grab?'_ So far he was coming up with no luck, and her uncomfortable gaze was starting to make him feel uneasy, so he did the only think left that he could think of. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Her question was cut off. Naruto hooked his arms around her shoulders, and kissed her.

……

"Damn you Orochimaru! Let me GO!" Anko struggled against the chains holding her to the wall.

"Fool, you thought you could get away with this? What makes you think you hold enough power to stop me?" He grasped her chin with his thumb and index finger. "You're lucky I even spared you for your betrayal." His tongue flicked out at her. Anko gave a disgusted look at him.

"Bastard. You won't get away with this. If Kakashi-." Orochimaru slapped her hard across the face.

"Kakashi is not completely here right now is he? And it's all thanks to you..." He smirked.

"What have you done to him?" She seethed through clenched teeth and glanced over at her fallen silver-haired companion.

"Let's just say he's just a corpse at my disposal." Orochimaru gave a hearty laugh at Anko's face. "Now why the stricken look my dear? He's still here, somewhat." He grabbed Kakashi's face mockingly and wriggled it a few times. "See? The only difference is that I control his every move." Orochimaru snapped his fingers. Kakashi's zombie like corpse approached Anko. "Kakashi," The king commanded, "kill her."

The silver-haired man awoke and seemed to be nothing more than a dead corpse. His skin was twice as pale; it seemed to glow in the dark castle. Kakashi apparently had not fed for quite sometime. Anko glared at him. It was a mystery to her how he was still alive. Her eyes traveled across the room and landed on a blonde girl sitting in the corner. Her body was slumped, but she was still mumbling some incoherent words. _'Mind control?'_ She gasped. "Ino!"

Ino did not respond, instead she merely continued her odd chanting. "Orochimaru what have you done?!"

"So Ino's mind control broke, big deal. She's a little crazy." He laughed and walked over to the blonde. "I figured since she can't tell me where the mansion is, and Shikamaru has yet to show his face, I'd kill you now in the cruelest way I possibly can using this moron." He stroked Ino's cheek. "You're such a pest, Anko." He returned to his prisoner. "Kakashi, kill her. Now." Orochimaru said again. Kakashi didn't move, only his wooden steak remained at her chest.

Anko's eyes traveled from Kakashi to Orochimaru and back to Kakashi. The stake pressed onto her skin. She flinched slightly. A low growl escaped her lips as she called out, "Ino!" The blonde did not move. "Ino snap out of it!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Orochimaru quickly clamped his hand over Anko's mouth.

"Shut the hell up." He commanded angrily. Anko glared bitterly at the psycho. She felt the stake press into her chest a little farther before it ripped away some of her pale flesh and scattered little amounts of blood onto the stone walls of the castle. A slow, breathless gasp escaped from her as she slumped against the chains holding her against the wall.

……

"Sakura?" Sasuke opened the door to their room. He called out her name but received no reply. His eyes narrowed and scanned the room for a good, long minute before he stepped out and sought his wife. He walked throughout the corridors of the mansion, down the dark hallway, up the staircase, and into the library where he would usually find her, but she apparently didn't want to be found. He began to grow frustrated. He'd been angry most of the time and needed a good comfortable lay, and she had yet to show up.

Sasuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes to at least hear where she was. His eyes snapped open; he immediately spun his heel and walked toward his dark gardens. And surely, there she was, at the middle of the sanctuary with her head down on the fountain rail. He felt his heart slacken a little, but he swallowed that feeling. He had no idea what she could be moping around about. They were reunited again, wasn't that what mattered?

He quietly advanced toward her, careful not to disturb her in anyway. However, as soon as he approached, her head snapped up, and to his surprise, a small, bloody tear fell down her cheek. His brows knitted. "Sakura," he said her name flatly and kneeled down to her level. His eyes sought hers out, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Sasuke felt anger boiling inside him. He wondered briefly who caused her such grief, to the point where she would cry tears of blood, his blood and hers together… His hand grasped her cheek and smeared the crimson tear away. She flinched and pulled from him. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. He reached out toward her again, but she scurried away from him with a fretful look in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" He questioned sharply, feeling that rare sense of hurt inside.

"Get away from me." She mumbled bitterly and cast her gaze away.

Sasuke glared at her and ignored her abrupt statement, knowing well that something happened when he was gone. _'I knew I shouldn't have left her alone…' _"Sakura." He said again. She didn't turn to look at him. "What's wrong with you?" He approached her again.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled at him. Sasuke inwardly flinched. He felt anger and hurt.

"What's going on, Sakura?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"Just leave me alone." She muttered bitterly. Sasuke was beginning to think she'd been around Ino for too long. She had mood swings just like the blonde anyway. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Sakura, you will not shut me out. Don't start this right now. What's wrong with you?" He felt his anger rise. He didn't want her to distance herself from him, not when they were together again after so long… Sakura tried to pull out of his grip, but he grabbed her wrists and stopped her struggle. "Damn it, Look at me!" He yelled.

Sakura froze and cried sullenly. She wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms, but she would not allow herself to. She had to know, "Sasuke, after I died, and you went with Orochimaru," she swallowed, "you met Ino, didn't you?" He didn't respond right away.

"Ino. So this is what your upset about?" He brought his hand up to her cheek, his thoughts instantly settling on bringing the blonde as much pain as possible. "That stupid bitch, I knew I shouldn't have-."

"Stop it." She seethed, "Why do you talk so lowly of her, if the two of you have had such a 'brilliant' affair." Sakura's fists clenched. Sasuke stiffened.

"I-I what?" He managed to get out blandly.

"You heard me. You had an affair with her after you were taken by Orochimaru, didn't you?" Sakura accused. "I was still alive!" Sasuke glared at her.

"Just what are you trying to say, Sakura?"

"Why did you bring me back? Why _didn't_ you come back? Why did you have to do this!? Was it to make her jealous?"

Sasuke almost gagged. "No."

"Are you trying to make my life miserable?!" Sakura's voice rose.

"No!" Sasuke yelled. "Why are you asking such stupid questions?!"

"Why did you even bother?! You should've just left me there with those people! I would've been better off!" Sakura pulled her wrists out of his hands and stood up.

"You were being abused, Sakura, you'd give up what we have to go back to that?!" He questioned her.

"And just what do we have?!" She asked back. "Nothing! This is all unreal and I'm not even alive! I feel dead inside, Sasuke, I hate it!" His arms wrapped around her waist despite her violent struggle.

"Just what has Ino been telling you?" He asked her suddenly. Her eyes met his in a piercing glare. She didn't respond. "Answer me, Sakura!" He demanded. She tried to get out of his grip, but he held her still. "I don't need this right now-."

"You bastard. Don't touch me, let me go." Sakura hissed.

"Not until you tell me." His grip tightened. Sakura let out a small cry. Sasuke sighed knowing that she would not tell him anything until he explained himself. "Look, it was a long time ago, and I- I couldn't go back so... I- it was one night, and she just-." He stuttered, unused to speaking so much.

"You had sex with her. How could you?!" Sakura pushed away from him.

"Why would that matter?!"

"We had a child Sasuke!" Sakura sank down to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I didn't want to remember… I didn't want to remember that we lost our only baby, and you had to go flaunting around! Did you even care about me?! That we had lost our baby, that we even had a child?! Why didn't you just come back?! You knew it wouldn't have mattered to me what you were…"

Sasuke grew stiff with the sudden news. "W-we had a baby…?" He said unbelievingly. He took her into his arms. "This isn't even about Ino anymore is it…" Sakura sulked into his chest and gripped the fabric of his shirt. "I--I didn't know."

"So you didn't come back. You left me there, alone with our child. Tell me how was it fucking my best friend? Did she bring you more pleasure than I did?" Sakura mocked him. Sasuke pulled away from her.

"Sakura, stop it. It was never like that- I couldn't go back! I didn't know! If you would've told me I wouldn't have gone out that night." Sasuke retorted in a frustrated tone.

"Hn." She bit her lip and got up from the ground, but she dragged her eyes away from him. "I was going to tell you the night you left, but apparently, you didn't want to hear about anything I had to say. Regardless of the situation you were in, you didn't even attempt to come back to me, instead you went sleeping around, and with Ino of all people!" She took a deep breath, "All I had left was our baby, and it was the only part of you I had left. The night I was killed, I was raped and our baby was torn out of me!" Sasuke's eyes widened, and he took a slow step toward her. "Sakura…" His anger increased with each word that came out of her mouth, knowing that he wasn't there to stop it, or protect her, or to help her. His thoughts mingled with the possibilities of who might've done this to his wife and to his unborn child.

"Now that I find this," she continued, "I regret ever being happy, especially when my baby is dead…" Sakura turned to face him with solemn eyes. "You should've left me with my aunt and uncle. You should've just let her beat me to death because it sure as hell would've felt much better than what ever happiness this is." And she broke in to an exhausted frenzy of emotions and tears. Her legs wobbled beneath her. She felt herself growing tired.

Sasuke moved quickly and caught her before she hit the floor. Sakura cried tears of blood mingled with slight moisture as she clutched onto him, knowing that she could change nothing, knowing that she was helpless, and he was all she had left. He stroked her hair tenderly and pressed a delicate kiss to her temple.

_'Sakura…'_ He wrapped his arms around his bride's petite waist, and pressed her closer to his body afraid that she might be torn from his grasp again.

……

Neji walked sorrowfully throughout the mansion trying to rid his guilty thoughts of Tenten. Her body still lay in his bedroom, stiff, dead, and pale, unlike her body stature when she came in with him, laughing. He closed his eyes. Her laughter still rang in his ears. His fists clenched. He needed a way to bring her back, and as luck would have it, as he walked past Naruto's room, he found the answer to all of his solutions… A sinister smirk made its way onto Neji's face.

……

"Ino?" Shikamaru called out. He wandered aimlessly around the mansion calling out her name, but received no reply. He knew Ino wandered in and out of the mansion all the time, so it didn't come as a big surprise to him. Still, he felt that troublesome feeling of disappointment because she had left so abruptly and without saying good-bye.

"Ino!" He called out again. Only the echo of her name gave him any reply. "Forget it…" he muttered and walked back to his room. Shikamaru didn't know what to do. _'Why the hell do I even bother?'_ He questioned himself angrily.

Shikamaru sat in silence in his quarters without thought, but his pointless task was interrupted by Sasuke and Sakura's presence. "Hey you two." They both stopped. He couldn't help but smirk a little. Never in all the years he had known Sasuke did he ever see the stoic vampire clutch onto anything so possessively. Knowing fully Sasuke's patience capacity was met for the night, he decided to make their conversation short and directly to the point.

"Has your wife seen Ino?" He had forgotten her name. Sakura smiled, feeling a little giddy at the fact that she was called Sasuke's wife. Sasuke cast his gaze down at her, questioning.

"No, I haven't." She replied meekly. Sakura had no real desire to speak of her friend. "Why, did she leave?" Shikamaru nodded his head. A sudden thought occurred to her. "I'm not surprised. She was acting strangely… she muttered something about Orochimaru and then-." Both the men's heads snapped up at the mention of the king's name.

"W-what did you just say?" Shikamaru asked disbelievingly. "Orochimaru?"

Sakura nodded. "Well, yes, and then she just-…" It didn't take much confirmation from her before Shikamaru bolted out of the room past the couple.

"Shit!" He cursed.

"Shikamaru…" Sasuke said, freezing him in his tracks. "Look, we don't know if he even did anything. You're being rash."

"Whenever something involves that old bat, nothing can be certain. If he contacted Ino again, you know what would happen." He replied. Sasuke nodded.

"You can't go alone though."

"I'll be fine." Shikamaru turned and smirked at him. Sasuke gave him a doubting look.

"I'll follow shortly." Sakura looked up at him nervously and clutched onto his shirt. He took her hand reassuringly and gaze Shikamaru a nod.

Shikamaru spun his heel and took his leave. _'What have you done, Orochimaru?'_

……

The two of them broke apart breathlessly, staring at each other with unsaid words of knowledge, and an odd understanding of what had happened. He was abruptly brought back on task. Naruto quickly grabbed her hands in her dazed state.

Hinata flinched when his thumbs traveled over her palms. She let out a hiss and tried to pull from his grip, but Naruto did not let go. Now, he was upset. He knew exactly what happened, and he could feel himself becoming angrier with himself for every moment he thought about it. _'How could I've been so ignorant?'_

Naruto couldn't look at her. Instead, he concentrated on her hands. "Why did you try to hide this?" She didn't answer him. "Hinata-chan." She pulled her hands out of his. He raised his eyebrow.

Hinata glared distastefully at the floor, knowing that she couldn't beat Naruto's azure gaze without crumbling. She was upset, more than anything, about the kiss she had unwillingly received, and even more, he had only given it to her see her disfigured hands. She knew Naruto wasn't that bright all the time, but this is as shallow as she'd even seen him. Naruto grabbed her wrist. "Let me go." She demanded in a frail voice.

"Look, I'm sorry-."

She turned around and glared at him. Naruto clamped his mouth shut. "You really shouldn't have done that." Hinata reprimanded him. His eyes held sorrow in them. She felt her insides churn. In the short time she had known him, as shallow as he was, and as little as he thought, she knew how much Naruto had helped her. He kept her alive, saved her from Neji, protected her and guided her. Hinata finally decided to meet his stare dead on. _'I enjoyed his kiss…' _and that made Naruto smirk.

……

AN: Tender sasusaku moment I just had to write in as well as a naruhina. I believe Sasuke is a little OOC, but I tried to keep him in character as much as I possibly could. It turned out well I think, besides, the boy should be past the stoic stage just a little bit by now don't you think? Well, I'm getting closer to the climax… Squee!!


	15. Chapter 14: Higher Power

Author's Notes: I've just realized... it's been almost two months since I've updated. It didn't feel like that long, honestly, I thought it had only been a month, but ah well, the point is... I'm sorry, and it's updated now.

Drowning In Blood

Chapter 14 - Higher Power

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Shikamaru made his way through the dense fog of Orochimaru's castle. It had been a long time since he was here, but nothing had really changed. There was a bit more fog, but Shikamaru figured it was because Orochimaru needed the protection. There was also a higher stench of death and foul carcases laying around. He realized the last part grimly and stepped over the decaying remains of one of Orochimaru's kin.

His eyes traveled around him, glazing over the dead trees and their brown color, the branches, how they slumped, and over all the negativity and sinister feeling of his surroundings. Weeds consumed the trees and looked as if they were eating them alive. As he walked along, however, he noticed the stench of death becoming more powerful. He pinched his nose and thanked whatever gave him his powers for not giving him a sensitive sense of smell. He briefly wondered if Orochimaru smelt the same way.

Shikamaru then stopped suddenly, realizing... _'How come nothing has come after me yet?'_ He was curious because he knew Orochimaru had his guards all over the castle grounds. He had been in the grounds for a while now and had yet to sense anything. His eyes grazed the trees, the sky, and the ground briefly. _'Where have all the guards gone?'_

As if answering his question, a demented being's screech echoed near him. Shikamaru slumped, "I had to ask." He muttered out loud. He sighed, got into a ready stance, and awaited the creature's arrival. As he stood there, he could briefly see the outlines of a white creature with decayed skin. Shikamaru made an expression of disgust. The creature landed in front of him, glaring ferociously and gave another screech, baring his large, blood-stained canines. His stance was hunched over.

"What the _hell_ are you?" Shikamaru asked skeptically with mild surprise. He thought the thing looked like a white unborn fetus with very long legs. He cringed at the thought. The creature, on the other hand, slashed the air like a demented beast with its long fingers and charged at Shikamaru with intense craze filling its eyes. Its saliva dripped down its body and all over the ground. It launched it's arm out in an attempt to stab its opponent.

Shikamaru dodged the attack easily and countered with a kick to the creature's abdomen. The thing took a few steps back and screeched again, this time, anger could be heard within the voice rather than just plain ferociousness. It charged once again, slashing left and right causing Shikamaru to dodge over and over again. With each slash, the creature seemed to get faster, while Shikamaru began to slow. Eventually, the creature was able to make contact. Its long nails scraped Shikamaru's chest in a diagonal direction downward.

Shikamaru slid back, hunched over, and placed his hand on the ground to regain balance. He began to breathe slightly, and then his hand slipped underneath his now ripped shirt and clutched the wound. He winced. "Shit." He cursed and forced his eyes to remain on the creature.

The creature's expression somehow looked as if it became smug. Shikamaru glared at it. "Tch." He got up and faced the thing again. "Come on then." The creature took the invitation, slashing his opponent with intense precision. Shikamaru's eyes followed his foe. _'You're not going to get me into that little game of yours again.'_ The creature's hand came slashing toward Shikamaru's abdomen. Shikamaru quickly side stepped the attack, grabbed the creature's arm, and flipped it over. The large 'crack!' of the creature's back resonated. It cried out in agony.

Shikamaru then found himself with a smug expression on his face. He broke off the branches of one of the trees. "Die." He muttered and stabbed the branch through the creatures chest. The creature's body heaved as the branch dove through it's chest. It struggled with its hands which were flailing around in all directions. Eventually, darkness took it, and its struggle ended with the sound of saliva filling its throat.

Shikamaru gave himself a pat on the back and crossed his arms. "Hn." He smirked and began to walk on. As he made his way though the woods again, he noticed– 'whick!' He spun around quickly. _'I'm being followed?'_ He looked back at the blanched creature who was still laying where the had slain it. The branch marked where it was, but... Shikamaru's eyes widened. _'It called out to the others.'_

He cursed with a solemn expression on his face. As he pondered what he would do, his eyes scanned the area. A few pairs of feet echoed throughout the forest. Shikamaru closed his eyes... "Three pairs, three creatures, not counting ones that might be in the air..." He opened them and gazed toward the sky, "That makes five."

The creatures howled in a ripple like resonance, stopping in front of him with deranged anger in their eyes, silently claiming that they would have revenge for their fallen comrade. The creatures from the air swooped down and landed in front of the other three, but they were different. Shikamaru studied them all cautiously. "Well, well, two of Orochimaru's brides decided to drop in–what a joy." He muttered sarcastically under his breath as his mind began to work on a plan.

As it worked, however, the creatures launched themselves at him. One of the brides swooped over and slashed the side of his face. Shikamaru's eyes widened in fretful apprehension. "Shit." He cursed again as the other bride dove after him and managed to snag his arm. The other three charged ungracefully, attacking his head. He then realized, he had no choice. As soon as he found an opening, he turned his back and sprinted away in a retreat.

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"Do you really have to go?" Sakura asked as she pressed herself closed to Sasuke. He didn't reply. Instead, he pressed his hands on her shoulders and removed her from him. She was making him feel guilty for leaving. It was as if he was leaving for years, but whatever he was dealing with, he felt could be dealt with quickly. Slightly discouraged by his reaction, she merely sat on the bed with a wistful sigh.

"It'll only be for a little while." Sasuke turned to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to make up for pushing her away. He cursed his newly discovered discomfort of not having her around. "You can go into anywhere in this house, just don't get lost, and don't leave." He commanded. He actually preferred it if she just stayed in their bedroom. Sakura nodded. It was not as if she had anywhere to go, but she appreciated his concern.

"I think I'll sleep." She replied tiredly. He nodded approvingly and gave her a kiss.

"I'll be back in a little." He promised and left. Sakura fell back onto the mattress and found herself in a very deep slumber

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Hinata blinked, suddenly realizing what had just happened between the two of them. Out of reaction, her delicate hands pushed him back, ignoring the sting it inflicted on them. His mildly amused expression had her wanting to crawl into a coffin and stay there for a few centuries. If she had anything left in her body, she would assume that it would've rode a tremendous blush all over her face. At the moment she felt nothing but embarrassment that such a thought had even dared entered her head, and he knew!

She turned away from his intense azure gaze, unsure of what to say or do. Naruto, amused by her cuteness, decided to prod and look at her. With every angle she moved her head, he moved along with her, laughing from time to time. "Come on, Hinata-chan, I'm not that ugly am I?" He asked with enjoyment in his voice. She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Naruto frowned. "Does my breath smell bad?" He pulled her hands away from her face. "Hinata-chan…?" His voice came out in a singsong way. "You can't hide from me like that you know."

Hinata frowned and was about to answer back, but a sudden burst through the door had the both of them at a complete stand still. Neji was there with his fists clenching slightly and his hair in disarray. He looked stressed, and she even noted that his face strained as if he were desperately trying to keep something under control.

"You." He pointed at Hinata. She looked around with a dumbfound expression on her face and finally her gaze landed on her face as if asking, 'me?' He stalked toward the two of them. Naruto took a step in front of her, but Neji shoved him away. "You're going to come with me." Hinata blinked in confusion.

"What are you doing, Neji?" Naruto asked suddenly. The male Hyuuga's strict gaze landed on the blonde. "You can't just come into _my_ room and start ordering people around. She doesn't have to listen to–."

"Shut the hell up and stay out of this!" Neji snapped suddenly causing the other two to flinch slightly. He grabbed Hinata's upper arm. "You're coming with me." He said sternly.

"Wha-what?" Hinata managed to utter. Before she could get much else out, Naruto snagged her arm away.

"You're not taking her anywhere." He said defensively.

"I said to stay out of this!" Neji punched him in the face with such force that he fell back onto the bed. Naruto's expression turned fiery, and he launched himself back at the Hyuuga, grabbing his collar.

"What's your problem?" Naruto questioned intensely. Neji shrugged, gripped Naruto's forearms tightly, and kneed him in the abdomen. With Naruto slightly stunned, he forced the blonde's grip off of him and threw him into a corner of the room.

"Don't meddle in my business." Neji said with a hiss.

"You're the one in my _private_ quarters." _'Moron.'_ Naruto added silently. Neji grabbed Hinata again.

"Hn. She's coming with me. It's unwise of you to even try an stop me." Neji said sternly. Hinata watched the exchange with fear.

"Why? Huh? So you can have your stupid revenge?" Naruto sneered.

Neji scoffed, but did not answer. Instead, he dragged Hinata toward the door.

"Goddamn it Neji!" Naruto grasped Hinata's legs causing the three of them to tumble and fall over. Hinata painfully crawled back to Naruto. He in turn clutched her protectively around the shoulders.

"Damn it!" Neji cursed. "Naruto, let go of her!" He was desperate to have her. His anger and sadness welt up into a swirl of fury. He was blind.

"Fuck off, Neji!" Naruto yelled, angry at his friend for being so rash. "She's not going anywhere. If you want her, you'd better drag my ass out of the way first." Naruto stood up and took Hinata with him. He stepped in front of her. "Hinata's not going anywhere." He confirmed and challenged Neji's gaze.

"Get out of my way Naruto! That wench," He pointed to Hinata, "is the only one who can awaken her!" He yelled back and directed his gaze toward Hinata, "You will heal her."

"Who, Neji, who?" Naruto asked with intensity in his eyes. "For whatever purposes you plan to use her for, I won't allow it. You tried to kill her last time."

Neji frowned. He ignored Naruto's statement. "You will come with me." He addressed Hinata again.

General curiosity and concern for this individual had Hinata actually pondering to do as Neji wished. She timidly stepped to Naruto's side in slight fear of Neji after what he had done to her the last time. Part of her wanted to stay behind Naruto, and the other wished to help. She was torn. Her hands were still crumbling into ash, painfully and slowly. What was she to do?

"I'll help." She said shyly. Both Naruto and Neji looked at her with wide eyes, "I'll help." She said again a little louder.

"Hinata-chan–." Naruto protested, but she shook her head.

"I-I w-want to help." She said insistently. He looked at her with bewilderment.

"You don't have to, you know?" Naruto clutched her shoulders with his eyes making direct contact with her. He couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

""I-it's alright." She gave a soft smile which caused his entire being to feel extremely warm... for some reason. "I-I'll do it." Her expression became determined. She slipped out of Naruto's grasp and walked over to Neji who briefly nodded in thanks. It was slight, but she sensed it. Hinata then made her way out.

Naruto followed her, but he stopped when he was next to Neji, "You'd better be damn grateful she's still alive. Otherwise," Naruto scowled, "Tenten would've had no chance. You almost killed the girl, and in return she's going to try and save your precious bride. You owe her, you know." With that he left the room.

Neji turned to follow the two back to his quarters where Tenten was. A deep frown was on his face, his fists clenched even tighter. He knew... He knew he owed her something. Still, his glare remained on the blonde's back. His frown turned neutral. He also knew that he's have to slap Naruto around a few times for reading his mind.

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Shikamaru panted. "Shit!" One of the brides swooped down at him. He stumbled across the decayed branches and remains around him. His chest heaved as the open wound on it began to pour out his blood, along with his other pouring injuries. At that rate, he knew that his blood loss would result in himself succumbing to weariness. One of the other creatures managed to snag his back. He spun around and quickly kicked the creature in the jaw and resumed his running.

He made his way through the darkness of the forest and suddenly, he found himself at the edge of a cliff. "Damn it! Of all the–." Their screeches reached his ears. He panicked.

One of the brides clawed at him from the air, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backward, nearly falling off the edge of the cliff. Shikamaru looked down and found that there was no ending because the fog was covering it. _'What's this?'_ He saw the remains of one of Orochimaru's brides attached to the cliff, with it's decaying remains hanging limply on a steak.

Quickly, He pulled the steak out, looked up and found the bride's fangs merely three inches from his face. Out of reaction, he held up the wooden object and plunged it into the bride's chest. She screeched in pain and flew in a disoriented fashion, knocking the other bride away. The other three grounded creatures growled.

They charged at him, baring their claws and teeth angrily. Shikamaru threw the steak with precision and hit one of them in the chest. It fell and shrieked painfully. The other bride had managed to untangle itself from its other and joined its comrades in charging at Shikamaru. He hastily searched his mind for solutions, anything, anything at all. His eyes widened.

The bride swooped near his face, the other two were near his chest. He saw their claws slowly making their way toward his chest in a fatal blow. Their movements seemed slow to him as he quickly forced his mind to react— They suddenly stopped.

The creatures were frozen in their place, sheer bewilderment spread across their features. Their claws were mere centimeters from hitting Shikamaru. Shikamaru smirked with a small bloody trail making its way out of his mouth. He managed to get his craft working and congratulated himself. "You're all mine now."

Suddenly, the creature's expression turned to fear, not toward Shikamaru but–"You've done well, my kin." Orochimaru's voice said melodically. The voice forced Shikamaru to dismiss his craft out of surprise. The other three creatures ran away, howling in terror. Orochimaru's laugh echoed throughout the forest.

"You bastard." Shikamaru snarled. Immediately he asked, "What have you done with Ino?"

"Patience." Orochimaru sneered, "You'll see her soon enough. Come to me."

Shikamaru spit the drying blood out of his mouth, "Humph." He knew he didn't have a choice. He had to go, there was no turning back now, "Fine." He said begrudgingly. "But none of your tricks you old bat."

Orochimaru only laughed fading away into the distance.

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He laughed out loud and spun around with his arms spread out joyously. "They're coming back. They're all coming back." He said blissfully. Orochimaru continued his laughter and turned to a very mesmerized Kakashi. "This is grand, isn't it?" His gaze turned over to Anko, who was still chained to the wall unconsciously. There was a gaping hole in her chest where Kakashi had stabbed her. "Beautiful."

He approached his former bride with a smirk on his face. His eyes traveled on her rough features down to her slender neck, and finally landed on the area between her breasts where the hole was located. He leaned closer and licked the small amount of blood coming out with his long tongue, but then he realized.

"She's not dead." He withdrew his tongue and licked his lips. He turned toward Kakashi, and then to Ino. "She's not dead." He repeated a little angrier. "Useless! You held back!" He went over and kicked Ino, who slumped apathetically with a dazed expression on her face. He then stomped back to Kakashi. "You," He grasped the silver-haired man's face, who had a set expression of stone. He slapped Kakashi across the face, "You–." He couldn't find the words. Orochimaru watched the other vampire cautiously. "Damn it all."

"My kin is returning."The King reminded himself calmly. "They are returning..." He licked his lips and smirked.

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Ending Notes: See? I did update. Slowly, I did, but I still did! Thanks for reading!


	16. Chpater 15: Lost

Well, it really has been over a year isn't it? **I owe this to you guys.** I really didn't think it'd been that long. I don't think saying "sorry" would make amends for everything. Honestly, I lost my will to write anything at all, not because of school, work, whatever the heck else there is, I just wasn't satisfied with my plot, with my writing, with anything I did. It's only fiction, but as a personal problem for me, I won't be satisfied until almost everything is well above decent.

Funny though, I started on this chapter a really long time ago when someone reviewed with a message that seemed like it was "yelling" at me. It was just the way I read it, but the wording seemed so. I received many more like that afterwards, but they didn't seem to have the same degree of intensity as the original. I opened this chapter up so many times to complete it, but just never did it. I wasn't inspired to write this story anymore. I had a "vampire" phase when I started it. I was reading Anne Rice too though. Hah. But the reviewer got me to actually got me writing and planning. To you reviewer(s), although I have no idea who you are at this point, thanks.

Lame. I know. If you took the time to read this, thanks. I appreciate it. My writing might've changed in some ways, but I don't think there's a big difference.

* * *

**Drowning in Blood - Chapter 15: Lost**

* * *

She felt like she was drowning. She was drowning in a thick, disgusting liquid. It crept up through her shirt, around her legs, and it smothered her face. She could not breath. She did not dare to open her eyes because she was afraid the liquid would seep through, and smolder her vision forever.

Her body was tense, coiling and uncoiling. She curled her fists, so much so that blood drained from the palms of her hands. _'Am I dying?'_ She asked herself. This place made her feel dirty and grotesque. She had the taste of vomit in her mouth. From the bowels of her stomach she could feel the crawl of acids climbing up higher and higher threatening to open her mouth for release. She swallowed hard.

The liquid washed itself upon her lips, prying them apart. It seeped through her mouth and onto her teeth. She wrenched her mouth shut and murmured a cry or protest. The liquid gushed through her clothing and seeped to every inch of her body slithered onto her naked skin. She could not move her arms or legs, only let out small gasps and cries of agony and disgust. She knew she could not escape. She would be trapped here forever. She would never be able to wake again from this terrible slumber. It would kill her first.

Fear spread all over her body. She froze in panic. She would never escape, _never_. Ashamed, marred, and nauseated with her circumstances, she realized that she had been trapped here by someone she trusted. It was him. She gave herself to him, and he threw her into the depths of hell. He wanted her to feel disgusting. He wanted her to be abused, molested, violated in every way. He wanted to bring her harm. Why else would she be sent to this wretched place?

Misery clouded her senses. She no longer cared if she died. He had sent her here. She had been betrayed. Slowly, she opened her eyes, but still found no vision. There was darkness around her, and accept for the liquid gushing all over her body, she could not feel anything else. She parted her lips, and for the first time tasted, felt, and saw exactly what she had been drowning in.

Blood.

She was surrounded by it. The crimson liquid gushed all over her body, and even with her clothes on, she felt bare. It crept up on her on her face, breasts, hips, legs, and it left no part of her body untouched. What had she done to deserve such a violation? Why had he sent her to this place?

"Neji..." She murmured.

* * *

"Damn it all to hell!" Shikamaru cursed as collapsed onto a dense mass of dead plants. He clutched his broken leg painfully as he ripped the fabric off of his right leg. "Yeah. Great. " He muttered sarcastically. The skin around his shinbone and kneecap was beginning to turn an ugly yellow and purple color, and the shinbone was sticking out a little more than he liked. His knee had been dislocated. He turned an spat at the decaying corpse of a bride a few feet away from him. "You bitch," He growled at her as he set both his hands right above his knee.

He grabbed the fabric from his torn pants and stuck a chunk of it into his mouth. With all the strength he could muster, he pushed onto his shinbone to set it back in place. He clenched the fabric tightly with his teeth, and continued applying pressure until he heard the satisfying crunch of his bones realigning. He spat out the torn cloth, quickly wrapped it around his leg, and let out a large heave of air.

After sobering himself from the first realignment, he grabbed another piece of fabric and tightly wound it around his knee. He crossed the two ends and then pulled it as tightly as he could to set his knee back in place. He bit his lip painfully as he forced the bone to move. Finally the joint returned to its former position. He wrapped fabric around it and tried to push himself off of the ground.

His leg could not take the pressure. He fell back. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and grabbed a nearby tree branch to brace himself up. His legs were still shaky, but he managed to move a few steps toward the bride. When he was near enough, he took the branch and rammed it through her skull. It shattered beneath the tree branch. He whispered, "Rest in peace," and then he kept walking.

* * *

"What are you doing! Why isn't she waking up?" Neji demanded. "What's wrong with her?" He shook Hinata's shoulders roughly.

Hinata swallowed hard. "I-I d-don't know," She said meekly.

Naruto stepped between the two of them and pried Neji's hands off of her. "Look. She's doing the best she can, so would you give it a rest?" He asked sourly. "Hell, if it was me, I wouldn't even help you." He crossed his arms and slumped against the wall.

"It's not you, so shut the hell up." Neji seethed. "Girl." He addressed Hinata, "Heal her. Now."

Hinata remained hesitant. She stared at Tenten's pale body which seemed to be withering in the moonlight. Her skin was wrinkling. Her face held a solemn expression. There was no rest, no peace in her face. Her body would twitch violently once in a while because she had some amount of blood inside her, but her eyes remained tightly shut. '_What are you fighting?_'

"What are you waiting for?" Neji asked, "Do something!"

"I-I don't know w-what's wrong with her." She took Tenten's hand and studied it, "S-she needs more blood though."

"Her body," Neji growled and looked away, "apparently... refused."

Naruto smirked, "What? You mean... she refused your blood?" He padded Neji on the shoulder, "Were you... _rejected_?" He pressed on to annoy him.

Neji swatted Naruto's hand away, "Shut up, dobe." He looked at Tenten with a serious expression. "She would never do such a thing."

"Are you sure?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I would."

"Well, it's _not_ you." Neji stated angrily, "so shut the hell up."

Hinata pressed her chaffed hand over Tenten's forehead, but could not find what she needed to heal her from. It seemed as though Tenten was only rejecting becoming a vampire in the first place. "A-are you..." Hinata began hesitantly. She looked at Neji. "A-are y-you sure s-she was w-willing when you bit her?"

"She was," Neji looked away, "She was ready."

"Did you ask her?" Naruto questioned, "or was she seduced?" Neji murmured something in response that not even Sasuke would be able to hear. "What was that? Naruto asked loudly.

"I said I didn't have to ask." Neji ground out between his teeth.

"What do you mean you _didn't have to ask_?" The blonde continued, "If the person isn't willing, they probably won't want to-."

"I didn't have to ask. She's mine." Neji responded, "She accepted this."

Naruto sighed, "You can't just assume she's willing you know."

Neji looked away. "She was. She wanted this too." He sounded like he was convincing himself.

"If she actually wanted it, it wouldn't have happened this way!" Naruto said exasperatedly. "It's pretty freakin' dense of you to assume she'd just jump into your arms like that."

"Don't talk to me about being dense. You're the stupidest and the slowest out of all of us." Neji snapped at him.

The blonde glared. "Ah screw you."

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata intervened softly. "D-do you think y-you c-could," she swallowed, "r-read her thoughts?"

Both Naruto and Neji blinked and frowned at each other. "No," Neji said, "This idiot is not going to do anything."

"I don't think I want to." Naruto shrugged, "Like I said earlier, if I were in your shoes," He looked at Hinata, "I wouldn't help this guy." Although his tone didn't sound like he meant it.

"B-but..." Hinata continued, "W-we might be able to find out s-something... even... e-even what's wrong with her."

"No." Neji said stubbornly. "I refuse to let him 'help'."

"T-then w-we won't know a-anything." Hinata said fretfully, "S-she might never c-come back."

"It's no use," Naruto said bitterly, "If he doesn't want my 'help' I'm not going to give it to him."

Hinata gave him a surprised look. "Y-you c-can't mean that." She said quietly. "S-she's going to d-die because of y-you guys."

"Yeah? Well what are you going to do now, Neji?" Naruto asked. "You can let her blow away in the godforsaken wind, or you can open you mouth and say five little words that _might_ make me help you."

"Help or I'll kill Hinata." Neji stated grimly.

Naruto slapped his forehead, "Not _those_." An impish grin made it to his face, "Come on. You know... _the words_."

"Never." The Hyuuga said stubbornly.

"Okay." The blonde shrugged, "Let her die. I'm going to bed." He took three steps before Neji stopped him.

"Fine." He said distastefully.

"I knew you'd change your mind." Naruto grinned and placed a hand delicately behind his ear, "Now, what were they?"

Neji clenched his fists, "Damn you dobe."

"Huh? What?" Naruto questioned, "I think he wants his bride to-."

Neji glared at the blonde, "Fine!" He ground out roughly, "Naruto," his voice suddenly became inaudible.

"What!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto. Will. You. Help. Me." Neji stated mechanically. He snarled and looked away.

"I don't know..." Naruto placed a hand under his chin.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a sorrowful tone.

He sighed and slung his arm around Neji's shoulders, "Alrighty then."

Neji shrugged him off, "Just..." he shook his head, "just do it."

Naruto smiled and made his way over to the other side of Tenten and placed his hand over her forehead. Neji and Hinata watched him in silence.

* * *

Sasuke trekked his way through the dead forest quietly. He peered around the dark, misty area cautiously as he stepped listening for any signs of Shikamaru, but he could hear nothing. There wasn't a thing stirring, yet there was an ominous air around him. The smell of dead carcasses around him shielded his sense of smell, and the fog covered his way. He heard a snap in the distance ahead of him. He remained still until he heard the sound of bones popping back together a little later. As quickly and swiftly as he could, he ran over to the source of the sound.

In a little clearing he saw Shikamaru standing limply with a cane. The other vampire looked at Sasuke with a bored expression. "Took you long enough," he said with a smirk.

Sasuke shrugged and peered at Shikamaru curiously, "What happened?"

"His brides are all gallivanting around the place." Shikamaru adjusted his hands on the cane and continued, "I ran into something that looked like a walking fetus too; although, I have no idea what the hell it was supposed to be. The old bats got freaks running around all over the damn forest." He slumped.

"Lets go then." Sasuke took one of Shikamaru's arms and slung it over his shoulders.

"Wait. Go where?"

"Go home." Sasuke stated morosely, "Where do you think?"

"We can't." Shikamaru grunted in pain. "We need to get to the castle."

Sasuke's expression remained blank. "No. We don't." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes. Yes we do." Shikamaru said with a cough, "He's got Ino there with him."

"So?" The Uchiha asked. "She's no concern of ours." He hoisted Shikamaru along with him as he stepped further away from the castle's direction.

"Uchiha," Shikamaru stopped him, "We're going to the castle."

Sasuke glared at the other vampire. He released Shikamaru's arm from around his shoulder and let him collapse onto the floor. "No. We're not. We don't need to. Whatever that psycho is doing with Orochimaru is none of our damn concern."

Shikamaru banged his fist on the hard dirt floor. "He'll kill her if we don't go."

Sasuke shrugged. "A minor loss."

"You bastard," Shikamaru shook his head.

Sasuke stared at him apathetically, "I don't give a damn about Ino or Orochimaru or whatever the hell his plans are. All I want to do is go back home." He spat, "What the hell are you going to do when you get to his castle then? Beat him with your tree branch?"

Shikamaru glared at him, "I'm going to save her."

Sasuke asked scornfully, "You think she gives a damn about you?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "I have no idea. She spends our time together talking about you." He let out a cynical sigh. "You're right. She doesn't give a damn about me."

Sasuke pulled him up, "Your leg needs to be fixed."

"I'm still going to save her with or without you, Uchiha." Shikamaru hobbled a few steps away. "Even if it means facing the old bat alone." He clenched the dead tree branch tightly.

"You're a stubborn fool." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Just let her go. Orochimaru will just use you. It might be a trap." He stated coldly.

"Go back to fucking your woman," Shikamaru brushed him off.

Sasuke punched him in the face and knocked him over once more. He grabbed the collar of Shikamaru's shirt and glared warningly at him. "Shut the fuck up," he snarled, "Fine. I'll leave you here to be shoved around by Orochimaru's brides. I'll let him molest you and kill you like he wants."

Shikamaru shuddered at the thought. He was a coward in general. He was tempted to run away like he used to, but something kept him here. He felt like he couldn't leave. He had to save Ino no matter what.

"You choose the worst times to be brave," Sasuke spat. "If Ino doesn't care then why do you have to bother? There is nothing keeping you here but yourself."

Shikamaru shook his head, "I just... I just need to do this."

"What's in it for you?" Sasuke asked. "You never do something unless it's in your best interest, so how will this benefit you?"

Shikamaru didn't answer. They both knew what it was already. It was all for nothing.

"I'm leaving."

"Uchiha, wait." Shikamaru called him, "Fine. I'll go." He looked sorrowfully at the ground. "... I'll go."

* * *

"She's angry." Naruto stated lowly, "very angry." His hand remained atop Tenten's forehead. It was quiet again.

Neji tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited. "Well, what else?"

Naruto shushed him and tightly shut his eyes. "I'm listening to her subconscious; it's a little harder. Shut up." Neji glared at him, but said nothing. Eerie silence pierced the air. Naruto continued in a steadily after a few moments, "You sent her to hell."

Neji's eyes widened, "What?"

"She blames you." Naruto's brow furrowed. He opened his eyes and glanced at Neji with a troubled expression. "She wants revenge. She wants... she wants to _kill_ you."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Thanks for reading. **Hope you guys enjoyed.

**Your reviews are lovely. THANK YOU GUYS for reviewing for soooooo long.**


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